Sonic the Hedgehog: The Grind
by RealmofRejectedMindsStudios
Summary: In the city of Mobotropolis, Sonic the Hedgehog is just your average highschool senior: always in trouble, flirting with girls, just trying to scrape by. He, and all of those around him live, love, and grow, even as a darker threat looms in the shadows...
1. Chapter 1

**Sonic the Hedgehog: The Grind **

* * *

**  
Chapter 1**

"Rise an' shine, sonny boy!"

Sonic T. Hedgehog let out a muffled groaned, not bothering to lift his blue head from his pillow. "Go'way Unca Chuck…"

"Aw, c'mon, Sonic, ya gotta check out this sunrise with me!" the elderly hedgehog insisted cheerfully, smiling down at his nephew, "There's nothin' like getting to see the start of a brand-new day after a long night's work…" he took a deep breath, glad for once that his lone blood relative had forgotten (as always) to close the window to his room before shutting the shades.

"Right…" the teen mumbled, turning his head just enough to view his uncle through one half-open eye, "What were you doin' workin' all night long?"

"Just repair work - gotta pay the bills somehow; I get paid higher rates as a 24/7 handyman," Charles explained casually, twisting the shades open. The early morning rays of the sun immediately flooded into the room, casting its orange tinge onto everything from the worn, beige, several-years too old carpeting to his nephew's recently-opened eye.

The young hedgehog cringed. "What time is it?" he asked, burying his face back into his pillow.

"6:00," Uncle Chuck replied, his upbeat tone of voice further belaying the fact that his body was, in fact, quite tired (he liked to think he was still young enough to run himself ragged in his work without consequence, but spirit and body usually found this to be a source of disagreement), "Thought you might like time to prepare for school for once," he chuckled dryly.

"Aww, when have I ever needed time to prepare…for anything?" Sonic asked, propping himself up on his elbows to flash his guardian a cheeky grin.

The light-blue hedgehog couldn't help but laugh, "Fair enough, son," he patted the young humanoid (as the government was kind enough to classify their large, second-class citizenry) on the shoulder gently, "Well, it was just a thought. Coffee's in the pot for ya," he explained, heading back towards the door to his nephew's room, "You have work today?"

At this, Sonic's smile faded, "Ugh, yeah…"

"See you tonight then," Chuck said, his good mood not to be deterred, waving shortly as he exited the room.

"Right…" There was no getting back to sleep now that he was awake, so the blue-furred teenage just yawned, stretching like a cat beneath his sheets before sitting up completely. _'Man, school doesn't start for another hour and a half…what am I supposed ta do for that long?'_ Scratching at his side, his gaze fell on his open window – more specifically, the window adjacent to it on the house next door. _'Well I suppose I could spread the love of a sunrise…'_

Sonic slipped out of bed, clad only in his boxers and socks, then began to fumble about for a pair of jeans that he hadn't worn more than twice. As the anatomy for the various species of 'humanoid' and humans weren't identical, clothing wasn't really necessary, but the government decreed by law that "any creature capable of cognitive thought and speech must maintain the predetermined sense of public decency with regards to nudity, whether the body be covered in skin or fur." No one gave it much thought anymore, especially not an eighteen-year old high school senior.

He snapped his gloves into place, one hand running down his spikes instinctively. Once fully clothed in an ensemble that included baggy jeans (which refused to stay up high enough for school standards even with a belt, due to his extremely lithe waist) and the nearest T-shirt, he stepped into his signature red shoes, fully prepared to face the grind of another day. Well, almost, _'Hope there's a lotta coffee…'_

* * *

_'Man, I haven't scaled this wall in a while – wish his dad hadn't torched our old rope ladder…'_ Sonic backed up slowly, nearly touching the wall of his own dwelling, cracking his neck back and forth once. He leapt forward, time itself seeming to slow around him as he did so, his super-speed kicking in as his legs churned gracefully, allowing him to literally run up the side of the wall to the window. He perched awkwardly on the sill, rapping his knuckles sharply on the glass.

Inside the dark room, Knuckles T. Echidna snorted in his sleep. Something was tapping in the background of what was until this moment a _very _pleasant dream. And it wasn't stopping. With a moan and a grunt he forced himself out of bed, stumbling groggily across the room to the source of the noise. "What the hell…?" he muttered, yanking on the drawstring of the blinds on his window.

Sonic smiled widely, waving curtly, "Mornin'!"

"GAH!!" the echidna let out a yelp and staggered backwards, clutching his chest, "What the fuck?! What're you doing up here??"

"Just visiting my best pal," the hedgehog replied brightly, "Open up, it's cold out here."

"Jeezus, gimme a heart attack why don't you…" Knuckes grumbled, stepping forward to slide the glass pane upward.

"So sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep…" the other replied mockingly, hopping inside his best friend's room.

"Oh shut up…" the red-furred one mumbled, shutting the window again quickly, "Why are you up so early anyway?"

"Uncle Chuck felt the need to 'share the glory of the sunrise' with me, so I thought I'd pass along the sentiment," Sonic griped, folding his arms across his chest, "Trust me, it wasn't to get my daily viewing of tighty-whitey-ware…"

His face glowing an even deeper shade of red, Knuckles grabbed the nearest pair of jeans and shoved them on embarrassedly. "Remind me again why I'm friends with you?"

"C'mon, who else would spend all their time in detention with you?" Sonic chuckled, raising an eye-ridge at the echidna.

He scowled. The blue delinquent was the only reason he wound up in detention so often, but it was too early for him to stay angry. Instead he gave a heavy sigh and then straightened up. "So um…did you wanna go get breakfast or something?"

"Great, I'm starved. You buyin'?"

"Of course," Knuckles said, rolling his eyes as he grabbed a t-shirt and hoodie, "Where to?"

"IHOP sounds good," Sonic mused aloud, "Say, you don't think Hooters is open this early, do you?"

"You want buffalo wings for breakfast?" the echidna asked, making a face as he pulled his Lego-topped sneakers on.

"Nah, but we could stop by and visit yer girlfriend."

"She's not my _girlfriend!_"

"Dude, why're you fighting this?" the blue hedgehog inquired, sounding genuinely baffled, "I'd be fuckin' thrilled…"

"Let's just go, okay?" Knuckles grumbled, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Alright, alright."

* * *

"Sure sugah, she's in the back – I'll let her know y'all're here," Bunnie Rabbot said, flashing the teenagers a grin before turning on her heel, white cotton tail poking out from the back of her orange shorts.

"Sonic, school starts in like, five minutes," Knuckles said warningly, glancing at his watch warily.

"That's four minutes more than I need," the hedgehog said, waving a gloved hand dismissively, "Besides, didn't you at least wanna say hi?"

"That was _you_, remember?" the red-furred 'humanoid' retorted quickly.

"Yeah, but only cuz I know deep down you really wanted to," Sonic smirked, elbows on the 'wait here to be served' podium, "Plus, a guy needs to get his hotness fix someplace."

"Amy doesn't do it for you?" Knuckles laughed, elbowing his friend teasingly.

Sonic shuddered, "Man, why you gotta mention the 'A' word this early in the morning?"

"Just to keep your ego from inflating too much, that's all."

"Remind me to thank you for that later…"

"Thank him for what?" came a familiar alto voice as Rouge Bat sashayed into the entryway, "Red, you're not giving away sexual favors and not telling me again, are you?"

The two instinctively took a step away from each other, but while Knuckles' voice was felled by the extreme amount of blood rushing to his head from embarrassment, Sonic was quick to recover, "Nice to see you too, Rouge," he replied, a cocky smirk plastered on his face, "Trust me, he's not my type."

"Well that's a shame," she said, shaking her head, "You're missing out on an internet goldmine, let me tell ya."

"Yeah, 'porn star' would look great on a résumé, right next to 'savior of the world' and 'Coconuts employee'," Sonic snorted, leaning against the nearby wall, "So how's life for my favorite ex-babysitter?"

"Not bad at all," the 21-year-old replied, straightening up and spreading her arms out to give them a better view of herself, "I'm fine as ever, as you can see."

Despite his boisterous, boastful, frequent proclamations to the contrary, Sonic Hedgehog was reasonably certain that the only feelings beyond friendship he held for Rouge was that of lust (the term 'friends with benefits' never sounded more wonderful…). In that spirit, such a delectable prospect was more than enough to cause his already oft-strained heart to skip a beat, "Damn, you can say that again…" he nodded, his eyes flickering up and down her curvaceous form quickly.

She smirked in quiet, well-expected triumph. "Yeah you can." She turned her gaze on the echidna who, to her delight, was standing with his mouth slightly agape, and seemed to be fighting internally over the desire to keep staring and his gentlemanly instincts to avert his eyes. "Right, Red?"

Knuckles spluttered incoherently for just a second, caught off-guard, then quickly turned his gaze to the floor (in what could be comically seen as an unintentional effort to hide behind his dreadlocks), nodding curtly.

"Hate ta break this up," came Bunnie's southern drawl as she sidled up beside her coworker, "But ain't y'all gonna be later for school?"

Sonic glanced down at his watch, which was rounding on 7:30, then shrugged, "Punctuality's never really been my thing. Besides, what fool would want to leave such visions of loveliness?"

"She'll be here all day," the rabbit said, "Come see us during lunch, and Ah promise you she won't serve no one but y'all."

The blue-furred creature sighed, "Fine, but we'll hold you too that," he turned to Knuckles, snapping his fingers in front of the echidna's face, "C'mon, we're outta here."

"Huh? Oh, uh, right, yeah I'm coming…" Knuckles said, head still ducked nearly below his shoulders.

"See ya later, Red," Rouge called after him, waving.

His face, which had just begun to regain its usual coloring, flushed a deep hue of crimson again, "S-See ya."

As the pair exited, Bunnie gave the bat a shove, "You're terrible."

"I know."

"Well that was sure smooth," Sonic sniggered as the males stepped out into the parking lot.

"Oh shut up…" Knuckles scowled, stuffing his gloved hands grumpily into the single pocket in the front of his black hoodie.

"Ya know, if you could ever get an actual word out, I bet she'd be so blown away she wouldn't be able to say no if you asked her out."

"I'm _not_ askin' her out," the echidna reiterated firmly, his breath rising visibly before him in the chilled morning air as the pair walked along, his sneakers kicking up bits of concrete from the ill-cared-for suburb sidewalk, "Besides, even if I wanted to, she's 21 and I'm not even 18 yet. Aren't there laws against that kinda thing?"

"Nope, 16 is the age of consent, I looked it up," the hedgehog said matter-of-factly, "Besides, you'll need a place to crash once you ditch your old man after your birthday."

"Dammit, we really _are_ gonna be late," Knuckles groaned, hoping to shift the subject away from himself, "My dad'll kill me if I get written up again…"

"Not to worry – you wanna ride piggy-back or damsel-style?" Sonic asked, getting a good foothold on the concrete.

"Neither way is particularly dignified, of course," the other sighed, watching as his friend tapped the tips of both his red, white-striped shoes against the ground, as if testing its solidity, "I suppose we'll go with damsel today..."

"Damsel it is then!" Sonic said, bending down to scoop his best friend up into his arms, "Hold on!" In a blink, the self-proclaimed 'fastest thing alive' was off like a shot, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake as he tore down the sidewalk.

Knuckles glanced nervously at his watch. Even with Sonic's breakneck speed, the odds of them getting to the correct classrooms on time was still quite minimal- which was, as he well knew, just the way the blue hedgehog preferred to operate. For reasons he could only rationalize through the reasoning that his friend was a seriously addicted adrenaline junkie- the more risk involved, the more dangerous a situation, the closer Sonic would cut it, if only for thrills. The fact that the hedgehog's unbelievably high top-velocity gave new meaning to the concept of a 'runner's high' merely seemed to compound the problem…

"Told ya we'd make it!" the hedgehog was saying over the rushing wind caused by his own motion (which had blown the front doors to the school wide open). "No sweat! Now all we gotta do is meld into the usual hallway crowd and –" his voice dropped off as they entered Mobotropolis High only to find the 'usual hallway crowd' already dissipated, only the last few scattered stragglers remaining.

The few remaining humans and humanoids alike were being herded from the hall by the school's designated 'permanent hall monitor', aka the foreign exchange student Antoine de Coolette. His outfit (a strange mixture of misplaced vanity and dorkiness, in Sonic's opinion) was adorned with a red sash, marking him as having the bare minimal authority in the school to make him loathed enemy to the common student and minor annoyance to most staff members, "Come, come, please to be moving along," he ordered importantly, frightening off several lost and confused-looking freshmen.

"Okay…" Sonic whispered, having yet to release his friend, "Slight change in the plan. Just gotta slip by Ant and we're home free!"

"Fine," Knuckles replied, his tone equally hushed, "Any chance of putting me down?"

"Not making you uncomfortable, am I?" the hedgehog grinned before lowering the echidna to the ground deftly.

"A little bit, yeah."

"My bad – used to doin' this with girls, and they always seem to like it when ya linger," he explained, "C'mon, quick, while he's not lookin'."

"Ah-_hem_!"

Both teens turned sharply, and Sonic grinned innocently, "Hey Ant! Fancy meeting you here – ya know, we were _just_ talking about you."

The fox-humanoid sneered down his elongated nose at the pair, _'Delinquents…Zis time I shall be_ truly _throwing the novel at them, as they say,'_ "Late _again_, Sonic Hedgehog, I am seeing…"

"Now really, Ant, I gotta ask – am I late? Or does the day jut start a tad too early?"

"Everyone else is coming to school on proper time, Monsieur Hedgehog," the hall monitor snapped, "And you as well, Ca-nuckels."

"It's 'Knuckles'," the echidna muttered.

"No no, I am seeing it spelled," Antoine replied impatiently, "You cannot fu-el me."

"Right you are, Ant – boy, nothing gets by you," Sonic said quickly, grabbing his friend by the elbow and steering him in the opposite direction, "We'll just be getting to class now."

"Not to being so fast," de Coolette commanded, placing a hand firmly on the hedgehog's shoulder, "Tardiness is merit of one detention, oui?"

"Oh come on," the hedgehog whined.

"Oh Hall Monitor," a crisp feminine voice interrupted them as Sally Acorn appeared in the corridor, "I think I smelled smoke coming from the boys' room in the science hall."

"WHAT!?" the fox cried, both aghast and infuriated, "You are to be remain here!" he called over his shoulder as he hurried down the hall towards the indicated rules-infraction.

"You guys better get moving," the red-headed chipmunk said, "It won't take him long to realize I was 'mistaken'."

"Thanks Sally," Knuckles smiled, "We're goin'- see you this afternoon?"

"You bet," she nodded, "I've got a whole slew of photos for us to go through."

"Guess that kid Silver's been busy," he chuckled, "Alright, see ya then."

"Thanks, Pres," Sonic said teasingly, saluting Sally with two fingers as the pair trotted off.

"Anytime," she said, smiling indulgently as she waved them off.

"You know her?" Sonic inquired quietly after a few steps, not quite sure if they were out of earshot.

"She's the editor of the school paper," he answered, voice equally hushed.

"Along with class president, future valedictorian…"

"She's not _that_bad."

Sonic raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, but merely folded his hands behind his head, "If you say so…" he stopped outside a classroom labeled '327', "See ya at lunch."

"Yep," Knuckles nodded, continuing his way down the hall. There really _was_ nothing bad about Sally's aspirations – with her father being the Mayor, he could understand the pressure she was under to excel. She was an overachiever by nature it seemed, yet from his interactions with her (he wasn't quite sure what they had was friendship, but it was closer than mere acquaintanceship) she never struck him as stuck up or dull. She was unbelievably bright, easy to talk to, and cute (he had to admit) in a 'girl next door' sort of way that while not something he was too attracted to, gave her a fair share of admirers. Plus, she made the business dinners his father dragged him to every few months a _lot_ more bearable.

His thoughts trailed off as he pushed the door open to classroom 356 and slipped inside.

* * *

Sonic sighed tiredly, running one gloved hand across his face, _'Geez, first the geezer nearly tears my head off, then an hour and a half of precalc; God I can't wait to get outta this place…'_ He padded down the hall listlessly (a half-hour nap combined with math could do that to a guy) towards the entrance to the school, trying to avoid running into any of the younger, more addled classes. Hooters for lunch sounded as good as anyplace…

He pushed through the glass doors and hopped down the steps, glancing around at the deserted pavilion, _'Dammit,'_ he frowned, tapping his right foot against the ground (patience, while a virtue to many, certainly wasn't a strength of Sonic's), _'Shoulda known Knuckles was gonna chicken out on me…'_ The blue hedgehog turned about-face and reentered the school, shaking his head in disappointment. The hallway was mostly empty now as well, as lunch had just begun (even Antoine was nowhere to be found).

As he was about to head in the direction of the cafeteria, another familiar face caught his eye – the school guidance counselor, a cat-humanoid by the name of Dr. Elizabeth Sawyer - heading out of her office and into the copy room. A second glance brought a wide grin to his face. The office door was still open, swinging slightly, the protruding lock bouncing against the frame.

The layout of the room was quite familiar to him, having been summoned to the office numerous times. Most students would have inhibitions over breaking and entering into an administrator's office, but he strolled inside casually, the door swinging silently on its hinges, _'Lotta good memories in this office…Wonder what she does with all the stuff she confiscates from me?'_

A search of the room at Sonic speed unearthed a veritable treasure trove of paraphernalia, and he stood before the pile chuckling to himself. _'Too easy. Now, let's see what we got here…' _"Whoa…" he breathed aloud, "No way!" He let out a joyful laugh as he extracted a black and blue skateboard from the mess of old slingshots and spitball shooters.

The buzz of the copier faded away, the silence interrupting the flood of ideas racing through his mind. He hastily shoved the more childish trinkets back into the doctor's lower desk drawer, clutching his prized possession in two hands, _'Haven't seen this since last June…'_ he thought happily, exiting the room with haste.

The cafeteria was bustling with activity as he stepped through the double doors, and his eyes flew over the commotion rapidly. The opportunities were just…so endless! And each once felt even _more_ perfect than the last! His gaze finally settled on the line at the buffet and he grinned. _'Bingo.'_

The tiniest of little voices in the back of his mind raised a feeble protest, but was instantly drowned out by the tidal wave of enthusiastic excitement at the prospect of being able to take some sort of action (he hadn't had the chance to take his morning jog around the country this morning). Sonic was a creature of action by nature, confined by the doldrums of the typical life society kept hoping to force him into: though it seemed terrible to admit, he never felt more useful, more _alive_ than when Robotnik was trying to take control of the world, regardless of the wanton destruction of property and life caused in the process.

"Gang way!!" he shouted, reeling back and tossing the skateboard in the air. He crouched down and leapt up, the soles of his sneakers catching the grip tape in mid-air, seconds before it came crashing down on a full table a few yards from the door. "Comin' through!" A quick step down snapped the board up and he kicked off again, amid cries of confusion and surprise.

At the end of the elongated table (his path of destruction evident by the crushed lunch bags, broken trays, and edible carnage) he leapt again, one hand gripping the bottom of the board to keep his feet firmly planted. The hedgehog sailed through the open door to the lunch line, the left upper axel catching on the metal edge of the food-display case while its twin latched onto the corner of the lunch-tray counter. His momentum propelled him forward, the shrieks of alarm from both students and lunch ladies nearly drowned out by his scraping, sparking grind.

Emerging on the other side, he did one final spin before landing solidly on the tile floor, the board tucked snugly under one arm. "YEAH!" he whooped, his free hand balled into a fist and pounding the air.

A solid majority of the senior class (led boisterously by Sonic's track team buddies) as well as numerous underclassmen burst into applause, roaring with laughter.

"That's right, that's right! Give it up!" the hedgehog cried, hopping up on the nearest table and taking a dramatic bow.

At the far end of the room, Knuckles buried his face in his hands.

Silver, sitting at the seat across from the echidna, let out a short, embarrassed laugh, trying hard to keep his attention on his half-eaten peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich.

Beside him, Amy sighed noticeably, chin in her hands as she watched the blue hedgehog continue encouraging the crowd.

A large, meaty hand clamped down hard on Sonic's shoulder, its owner, a red-faced, portly high school security member, glaring up at the hedgehog.

Sonic turned, his grin faltering just slightly. "H-hey Ralph, how ya doin' buddy?"

"March," the man ordered, picking the humanoid up with both hands and forcing him back onto the ground.

"Yessir."

Watching the pair depart, Knuckles snorted indignantly. "Idiot."

"Wish I'd had my camera…" Silver sighed, watching as the guard led Sonic out of the room.

* * *

"Well Sonic, the week's nearly halfway over, I was wondering why you hadn't been brought in to see me yet," Dr. Sawyer said, stirring her coffee half-heartedly.

"You know I couldn't stay away from you for long, Lizzy," he smiled charmingly, leaning back in his seat, which was across from the guidance counselor's desk.

The cat frowned slightly. She'd given up trying to get him to address her properly ages ago. It wasn't exactly respectful, but it certainly illustrated the extent to which they had gotten to know each other over the past three years. "You mean you couldn't stay out of _trouble_ for long."

"Just having a little fun," he shrugged, folding his hands behind his head.

"A little fun that's going to cost us a good deal in property damages," she said, gesturing with her spoon.

"Totally worth it," Sonic stated firmly, "Cafeteria ain't worth much in the first place…"

She scowled, lips pursed, "We'll see how worth it you think it was when you're spending your next detention making the repairs personally."

"Can I leave when I'm finished that?"

"Afraid not," she shook her head, "I recommend pacing yourself this time. I know how much you dislike sitting still."

"What?!" he cried in dismay, his chair falling noisily back down on all four legs, "C'mon, Liz, that's bull and you know it."

"I'm sorry," she said, "But I'm running out of ways to get through to you that this reckless behavior won't be tolerated. I'll see you after classes this afternoon."

"Er, actually, this afternoon isn't really good for me," the hedgehog started, "How 'bout tomorrow?"

"Define 'not good' and I'll consider it."

"I gotta go to work this afternoon- you want me to be able to pay for all that horrific 'property damage', right?"

"Fair enough," she conceded, "Tomorrow then. And I'll be taking that skateboard back."

"Hasn't it been through enough?" Sonic asked, clutching childishly to the item.

She sighed, "Promise me it'll stay out of this building, and you can keep it."

"Can do, ma'am."

"Fine," she nodded, "Now go on, get out of here."

Before the words had even finished coming out of her mouth, Sonic had rushed out, leaving only a billowing gust of wind in his wake.

Eyes wide, she smoothed her now windswept hair back. Something told her no matter how hard she tried to force him, nothing would ever make the hedgehog slow down.

* * *

"Hey hey hey!! How'd you guys like the show, huh? Pretty sweet, no?"

"That was awesome, Sonic!" Tails bubbled earnestly, his double tails flickering about behind him in excitement.

"Yeah it was, wasn't it?" the hedgehog smirked.

"Totally!" Amy said, nodding enthusiastically.

"You realize you're only embarrassing yourself when you pull stuff like that, right?" Knuckles asked, brow furrowed.

"You don't get to speak," Sonic frowned, taking his seat at the table, "First off, I wouldn't have even been in here if you hadn't chickened out about goin' to see Rouge, and secondly, you can't knock it 'til you've felt the rush for yourself."

"You feel quite enough rush for the both of us," the echidna shot back, cheeks flushed.

"You were gonna go see Rouge?" Tails asked, looking both intrigued and disappointed at once.

"We were supposed to," Sonic griped, tapping a finger irritably on the lunch table, "Maybe we'll get to head over later- trust me, I love ogling her too, big guy…"

"I-I didn't say _that…_" the fourteen-year old stammered, playing with the tassels on his short-sleeved hoodie.

Amy huffed, arms folded, "Boys…"

* * *

"Have you called Mr. Hedgehog's house to report this latest…incident?" the high school principal, a tall, thin human with short, crisply combed brown hair, inquired boorishly, his hands folded behind his back as he paced about the guidance counselor's office.

"Of course," Sawyer nodded, "But you know Charles – I had to leave a message."

"You know, of course, that I value each and every student of Mobotropolis High, regardless of class, gender, or species," the man, Mr. Hershel Brantley by name, continued, adjusting his square-framed glasses, "And I wish only the best for them. However, for the sake of the collective student body, I cannot continue to allow these constant disruptions- I mean, his file in the last two years alone is thick enough to be a damn novel!"

"I understand, sir, but there's only so much we can do – besides recommend a transfer, but I know he would do horribly at a private school, and even worse at the Military Academy," she told him, "Give me more time – I've _got_ to find an outlet for him."

"You said that two years ago, when you convinced him to join the track team," the principal countered coldly, "Two state championships later, look how much progress we've made. No college applications, no fewer incident reports, no grade improvement…"

"I know, I know," she said, wringing her hands. After a pause, she looked up at the human tiredly, "Do you really want to ship him off to the Academy?"

"While normally I'd say it'd the best thing for him, I doubt he'd last a week before going AWOL in a place like that," Brantley shook his head, smoothing out his dark gray business suit, "No, I just want you to get a hold of his uncle and explain to him that I'm running out of patience with Sonic. I have to think of the well-being of the whole school, after all. I've been lenient up until now, seeing as Coach Lauer lives and dies by his performances and the man has tenure, but I'll have no qualms issuing an expulsion order if this sort of behavior continues."

"He's working after school today; I'll stop by their place this afternoon, talk to Charles in person," she told him, "Between the two of us, we'll have to come up with something."

"See that you do," the principal stated, turning on his heel and exiting the room.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Okay people, we've got three days till we go to print – what've you got for me?"

"Horseshit, bullshit, and fuckshit…" Knuckles sighed, scrolling through a mostly blank template on his computer, glad to be staring at anything rather than several half-finished Word documents of his own uninspired writing.

"Ze 'allways are the safeness total and ze rule-smashing is down 12 zis semester…" Silver chuckled, scanning an email sent to their little office by the resident hall monitor.

Sally let out a small laugh, "Get on translating that into something the student body can understand…and care about," she told the white hedgehog, before placing a hand on Knuckles shoulder as she leaned over him, "Think we can stretch the update on the building repairs to fill a whole page, if we slap in a shot of random construction?"

"Yeah, maybe," he sighed, bringing up one of the documents (literally saved under the heading of 'Crap, Part 1'), "Speaking of repairs, you hear about the number Sonic did on the cafeteria this morning?"

"I did," she nodded, "It wasn't during my lunch period but_everybody _was talking about it. I'm sure we could fill a whole two-page spread with embellished 'eye witness' descriptions if we wanted to."

"Heh, he's crazy," Silver muttered, hoping none of the guilty admiration he held for the reckless blue hedgehog managed to make its way into his tone.

"I can only imagine," she replied, "But everybody sure goes _crazy_ over him. If we ever really wanted to sell in mass amounts, he'd certainly be worth looking into for an exposé or something."

Knuckles snorted in exasperated disbelief, "Trust me, that's the last thing his ego needs…"

"Warning well taken," she nodded, slipping into the seat beside him, "Surprising coming from his best friend, though."

"You take the good with the bad in everyone," the echidna shrugged indifferently, "Friends included."

"Fair enough," she conceded, "So scratch the ego-booster. We've gotta have_something_ worth writing about – it's a pretty damn big school," she said, leaning back in her chair, arms draped over the back.

"Yer dad donating anymore money to fix up this dump?" Silver inquired, his pencil rotating slowly in midair next to him, illuminated green by the psychic energy holding it in place, "That's always worth at least a paragraph of space…"

"Ya know, I haven't asked him in a while," she mused, "I'll see if he's in need of any good publicity at dinner tonight."

"Probably could use some- isn't his job approval rating at, like, 20 or something?" Knuckles sniggered, leaning his chair back on two legs in his frustrated boredom.

"It's not entirely his fault!" she protested weakly, "He just…never recovered from Robotnik's last attack this past summer…"

"Maybe if the police had caught the bastard…"

"He's gotten eluding them down to an art," she sighed, "I just wonder where the hell he disappears to."

"If only one'a his robots would trample through the auditorium again," the red-furred humanoid pondered aloud wistfully, "Now that'd make fine material for an article."

"Plus, it'd get us out of scare-tactic drug and sex presentations for months," she added, flipping her auburn hair out of her eyes.

"And we could stop writing 'important follow-up articles' about them," Silver spoke up dryly, stretching his arms behind his head in an effort to shake off the stiffness that came with sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time.

The echidna shuddered. "Wishful thinking."

"Such is the plight of the high school journalist it seems."

"Uncovering the truth behind lunch menu choices, one 'insider scoop' at a time…" Knuckles sighed, cracking his neck back and forth.

"Which none of us are really inspired to do at the moment," she stated, "If you guys wanna head home, that's cool with me. I'll lock up and then I've got a politics paper to get to."

"Cool, thanks Sally," Silver said, standing up and pushing in his chair. He leaned over the keyboard and quickly shut down his computer, his backpack (camera included) floating over to him from where he'd dropped it on the floor earlier, "Don't worry, I'm sure a fresh start tomorrow'll give us some new ideas," he smiled brightly, the unconscious naivety of his statement well-muddled by his genuine earnestness, "See you guys later!"

"Have a good night!" she called after him, then turned to gather her own things. "Did you wanna hang out or do you work better alone?" she asked, turning towards the echidna as she swung her bag over her shoulder.

"I can lock up if you wanna head home to work on your paper," Knuckles replied evasively, "I'm just gonna stare at the screen for a while…hope that some'a this shit turns into something usable…"

"Good luck with that," she smirked, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Later."

* * *

"I'm in the basement; door's open! If yer a burglar, there's not much worth taking up there, but feel free to start with the china- never much liked that ol' set…"

"Love to, but it doesn't go with the décor in my apartment," Dr. Sawyer replied, descending the stair into what she was positive didn't constitute a 'basement' for all the modifications the hedgehog had made.

"Ah, Ms.- er, Dr. Sawyer," Uncle Chuck smiled, pulling off his grease-covered gloves to offer her a handshake, "Pleasure to see you again, ma'am."

"And you as well, Charles," she replied, accepting his hand, "Though I'm afraid the reason for my coming isn't nearly so positive."

The older hedgehog sighed, wiping a bit of sweat off his brow with the back of one of his gloves, "Can I offer you a drink?" he asked politely, hoping to put off what he was sure was going to be an unpleasant conversation a few minutes longer, "There's a fresh pitcher of lemonade up in the fridge…"

"Certainly, thank you," she nodded, retracing her steps up the stairs. She couldn't decide whether it was a good thing or not that she had the layout of the house committed to memory. "I do apologize for just dropping in like this – I tried to call earlier."

"Hmm? Oh sorry," Uncle Chuck chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment as he trotted up the stairs after her, "Using the power tools down here can get pretty loud sometimes…"

"I can imagine," she said, "Business is good then?"

"Good as it can be, I suppose," he nodded, "Hate to admit it, but there's always a lot more work for me in the months after a Robotnik attack."

"That's not surprising," she said as they entered the kitchen, "At least there are those of you able to help pick up the pieces."

"Pick 'em up, put 'em back together, charge for it," Charles laughed as he opened the refrigerator, pulling out a tall pitcher of lemonade.

"It's as good a way as any to make a living," she shrugged, sliding into one of the barstools that circled the island in the center of the room.

"Don't I know it," he replied, retrieving two glasses from the cabinet next to the fridge.

She waited until he had set a full glass in front of her and taken a seat himself before speaking again. "So, as you've probably guessed, I'm here about Sonic."

"Shoulda known you weren't just here cuz ya missed me," the light-blue humanoid replied exasperatedly, taking a small sip of his drink, "What's he done this time?"

"Decided the cafeteria made a perfect skate park," she answered, "Which doesn't really surprise me at all, or even bother me all that much – you and I both know he's done worse – but Principal Brantley's on his last nerve and I'm running out of ways to appease him."

"I suppose 'boys will be boys' doesn't really cut it anymore, huh?" Uncle Chuck sighed weakly, shaking his head, "I'll talk to him when he gets home tonight, rest assured."

"Thank you – and I really can't stress enough how you need to make him realize how dangerously close to expulsion he's getting. I know he'll take it seriously if he hears it from you. I'm pretty sure everything _I_ tell him goes in one ear and out the other…"

"Sometimes I feel that way myself, but I'll certainly give it my best shot," Chuck assured her, staring tiredly down at his half-empty glass of lemonade, the tiny crystals of mix clouding around the slowly-melting ice cube, "He really is a good kid, you know- on Monday nights we watch football together; he walked the little girl across the street to her elementary school every morning for a month until she felt comfortable doing it herself…" he continued, getting rather lost in his defense of his lone remaining living relative as he watched the sugary powder in his drink begin to settle at the bottom of the glass.

Sawyer couldn't help but smile in revelation. _'That explains all the tardies in September…' _"I know Charles, and I like him, I really do. I_want_ him to do well, but it's up to him to apply himself properly. Has he mentioned college to you at all?"

The elderly hedgehog shook his head, "No, if he's thought about it at all, he hasn't said anything to me."

"I was afraid of that," she sighed, "Unfortunately for the both of us, we can't force him have aspirations."

"Haven't found a pill or a person yet capable of doing that," Charles smiled weakly, polishing off the remains of his drink in a large gulp.

"And I know you've tried just about everything out there," she nodded, "Well, maybe we can just keep pushing our luck and get him through graduation, at least."

"Yeah, hopefully," the other replied glumly, "Thanks, Dr. Sawyer, I appreciate you taking the time to come see me…again."

"Always a pleasure Charles, regardless of circumstances," she said, sliding her purse over her shoulder and offering him her hand.

He accepted smoothly, shaking the young feline's hand gently, "Have a good day, ma'am."

"You too." And with a final curt nod, she departed.

* * *

Sonic yawned, leaning backwards in the roller chair he'd taken from the manager's office as he ran a gloved finger down a huge stack of CDs, examining the labels half-heartedly. He glanced over the counter at the empty store; it was a fairly typical day of work- business at 'Coconut's' wasn't usually booming to begin with, what with the internet making the necessity of buying new albums very low… He sighed, unbuttoning the top collar button of his white, polo T-shirt, then resumed scanning the CD rack behind him for something suitable to help him pass the time.

As he was making through the 'D's, the bell at the door let out a loud jingle and he turned slowly. Customers were unlikely, so he had a pretty good guess who it was before he even saw their faces.

"Hiya Sonic!" Tails chirped, cheeks rosy from the cold afternoon air.

"Hey, buddy," Sonic called, spinning around in his seat to face the door, waving a hand over at the two-tailed fox. He managed to resist rolling his eyes as he watched Amy enter as well, hot on Tails' heels. While he might not've reciprocated her frequently proclaimed feelings for him, she wasn't all _that_ bad. And eventually (God willing) she'd move on… "Hey, Amy. How's it goin', guys?"

"Awesome," Tails said, chest puffed out slightly, "They posted up basketball try-out results after school today – I made junior varsity!"

"Nice!" the blue hedgehog smiled brightly, leaping up out of his chair and over to the edge of the counter, his hand held high.

The fox beamed proudly and went up on tiptoe to complete the high five, "Thanks!"

"Yeah it's been a pretty big day," Amy said, leaning up against the counter as she pulled her scarf loose, "Did you manage to talk you way out of detention?"

"For the moment," he sighed, folding his arms behind his head, "I'll probably have to do it tomorrow…"

"Aww, that sucks," she said, "So does that book up the rest of your afternoons?"

"Well, at least tomorrow's, anyway. Then there's always the joy of work…"

"Glad I'm not old enough to hafta work yet," Tails said with a guilty grin.

"Don't get cocky on me, pal," Sonic chuckled, ruffling the younger humanoid's head-fur, "You'll get there soon enough."

"Yeah, I know…Dang…with that and sports and school it's gonna get tougher to find time to just hang out, huh?" the fox asked, blue eyes wide.

"'Fraid so," the older humanoid nodded, just a hint of regret in his tone, turning back towards the huge stack of CDs, "Any preferences?" he called over his shoulder.

"Have you got the Mika imports in yet?" Amy asked.

Sonic smirked just slightly, _'Shoulda known- at least it isn't J-Pop…'_ "Life in Cartoon Motion it is," he announced, popping open the CD case and placing the disc into the boom box sitting on a stool next to his chair.

"Sweet!" she gave a little cheer and then hoisted herself up onto the counter, "How long are you here tonight?"

"Ten," he replied, "Then I gotta run over to the store and pick up groceries for Uncle Chuck…I'm sure Knuckles doesn't have any plans, I'll probably bother him to come with me."

"Sounds like a blast," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You guys ever notice how the grocery store never seems to get any damage when there's an attack?" Tails mused innocently.

"Can't see why Robotnik would wanna waste his missiles out this way- he's got bigger fish to fry, like the industrial section and the financial district…"

"Good point…" the fox murmured, having turned half of his attention to the bargain bin off to one side of the counter.

"If you guys have homework, feel free to set up shop," Sonic told them, settling down in his chair and propping his feet up on the counter again, "My manager's passed out in his office again and he won't be up for at least a couple of hours…"

"Cool!"

"Okay!"

The younger pair began unloading their book bags onto the counter, each collection of text books and supplies distinct to the owner. While Amy's workload consisted of British Literature and Art History, Tails' was still working his way through Algebra 2 and English Composition.

"Looks like fun," he snorted, reaching back behind him to crank the volume up a bit more. Truth be told, he most likely had homework to do as well, but he'd never been able to bring himself to care about such things, especially not in his senior year of high school.

"Actually I kinda like math," Tails admitted, tucking one pencil behind his tufted ear as he set another against a blank sheet of notebook paper. "It's a little too easy right now, but I should be able to move on to tougher stuff in the spring."

Sonic blinked in surprise (the very idea of enjoying math seemed contradictory), "Well alright, man, cool," he said, trying to be supportive, "Sounds like a plan."

"Mm-hmm," the fox nodded, before turning his full attention to his work.

* * *

_'Well that was a colossal waste of time…'_ Knuckles thought bitterly as he dumped his backpack on the front hall floor,_ 'Got nothing done there, and now who knows how long till _he_ gets home…'_

The house was empty and still- in fact, there were very few indicators that two humanoids actually occupied the house: the house wasn't well-kempt unless his father was having guests over, resulting in a thin layer of dust over most of the furniture that seemed to dull the color. This kept in style with the wallpaper, an already boring beige color which had faded over the years through sunlight damage and neglect.

With a slight snort of disgust he dragged a gloved finger along the kitchen counter, sneered at the gray stain it left on the tip, and then meandered over to the fridge. If he was going to hole himself away in his bedroom for the night, he would need supplies to last him until morning. He emerged with an armful of less-than-healthy edibles and a soda bottle tucked under his chin, then returned to the foyer, grabbed his backpack and trudged up the stairs. Rather than the family photos that littered his best friend's home, the walls he passed were dotted with bizarre frames images of geometric shapes what his father called 'modern art', making the place look more like an office building than anything else. When the place was cleaned, it even took on the air of a dentist's office, which seemed almost fitting to the teen echidna.

As he approached his room, he spied a yellow sticky-note slapped crookedly on his door, which merely read: '_Back at 11.'_ "Perfect…"

* * *

"Sir? My shift's up, so I'm outta here. See ya." Sonic saluted the still-dozing figure of his human employer and then turned on his heels.

He exited the store, his backpack slung over his shoulder, one hand smoothing out his spikes with one hand, _'What a waste of time…'_ he exhaled noisily, his breath rising visibly around him from the chilly, clear night air. Sitting on his ass for six hours a day whilst bored out of his mind and hungry just couldn't be worth $7.75 an hour, no matter what way he looked at it.

If they'd lived closer to the center of the city, the streets would surely be crowded, but this far out the number of night wanderers in any given area could be counted on one hand, and interactions between them were even fewer. So the quiet sounds of a scuffle a few blocks ahead caused the hedgehog's ears to perk up instantly.

If there was anyway to get his blood flowing again (and admittedly, he needed _some_ sort of exercise after having exactly nil to do for a full quarter of the day), a fight would certainly do the trick. He took off like a shot, already eagerly anticipating the upcoming action, following the source of the noise.

What he found when he turned into the alley was not much of a fight, or at least only a very one-sided one. A young man, probably not much older than the hedgehog himself, was beating an older, better dressed one about the head, demanding a submission of money.

Sonic snarled angrily, charging forward towards the despicable scene. Criminals simply came with the territory when living in a city, but that didn't make it any easier to accept, "Hey, jackass!" he called loudly, stopping a dozen steps or so from the attacker.

The assailant turned, "Get lost, ya fuckin' crawler, this ain't none a' yer concern."

The blue hedgehog's temper flared up at the derogatory slur, his gloved fists clenched tightly. People were, if nothing else, wonderful racists: dark-skinned humans were referred to by the n-word, mixed skins got 'mulatto,' and the varied humanoid population were slanderously called 'crawlers' for their ancestral history of walking on four legs so close to the ground. In an instant he was beside the thug, his fist thrust into the man's stomach.

As the human doubled over, trying to regain the breathe that had been knocked out of him, Sonic leapt up and brought his elbow down against the back of the man's neck and he crumpled to the ground, completely out cold. The hedgehog gave him a final, bitter kick in the side for good measure and then glanced up at the elder human. "You okay, mister?"

"Y-yes, I'm alright," the other nodded as he struggled back to his feet, a Kleenex held up against his head in order to stop a cut he'd received from bleeding, "Thanks for your help. I swear, this city is getting worse by the day…"

"Tell me about it," Sonic sighed, reaching out to put a hand on the stranger's back to steady him, "Listen, do you live far from here? I'm not in any hurry and I'd feel better if I knew you got home alright."

"That'd be just my luck- saved from a mugging only to be robbed again," the old human chuckled bitterly, "It's only a fifteen minute walk to my house; I couldn't impose on you any further, young man."

"It really isn't any trouble…" the teen insisted, gazing warily up at the rapidly soaking Kleenex, "Which direction are you headed?"

"Just down Acorn Boulevard, another six blocks or so," the man explained, his eyes scanning the ground for his cane (it had gotten knocked away from him when that thug attacked him).

"Well that's right on my way home," he lied, realizing why they hadn't yet departed and joining the search. He crouched down, peeking beneath a nearby dumpster and extracting the walking stick. "Here ya go."

"Thank you," the other mumbled embarrassedly, leaning heavily on his cane as he began to walk down the street again, "You have quite a gift, young man- your speed back there was amazing…"

"Yeah well…" Sonic shrugged, following along beside him, "It's kinda genetic, I guess, and it comes in handy sometimes."

"Well, it certainly beats being three-legged," the old man chuckled weakly, feeling a bit of blood begin to seep through his tissue onto his hand.

The hedgehog could only smile sadly. How long would it be before Uncle Chuck would lose the spryness the teen had always known? "You have somebody at home who can look at that cut?" he asked.

"Certainly, certainly- I have two sons, so my wife has spent the better part of two decades looking after worse than this," the human replied quickly, his eyes becoming a bit less focused as he gazed off into the distance towards his house.

"Alright good," he nodded, then let out a small laugh, "Two boys, huh? Must've been a crazy house – my uncle had a hard enough time with just me."

"Certainly was for a while there," the elderly gentleman agreed, "Awful lot of good memories though…"

"I bet…" The pair walked in unusually comfortable silence for a few moments longer and then the man began to slow. "This you here?"

"Indeed it is," the man replied, hobbling up the steps with as much dignity as he could muster, "I can't thank you enough for all your help. I wish I could offer you something monetary for your trouble, but as I was trying to explain to that thug earlier, I'm not as well off as I appear," he explained, his voice losing some of its luster as he entered financial territory, "Would you like a cup of tea, perhaps?" he offered feebly.

Tempting as it was, he_did_ still have groceries to pick up and while the store may have been open all night, he didn't like the idea of Uncle Chuck worrying more than necessary. "That's okay, I've gotta keep moving. You take care of yourself, alright?"

"I certainly will," the old gentleman nodded, smiling, "Thanks again; have a good night, young man…"

"Ditto, sir," Sonic said, offering a quick two-fingered salute and then continuing his slow trot down the street. As he reached the next block, he turned, checked to be sure the man had vanished inside his house, and then took off in the opposite direction.

* * *

_'Still no cars in the driveway- well, that figures,'_ the hedgehog shrugged, walking casually into his best friend's house through the unlocked front door, "Yo, Knux, where ya hidin'?"

"I'm not hiding!" came a shout from up the stairs, "What do you want?"

"Quit blastin' the emo and I might be able to tell ya!" Sonic called back, rolling his eyes.

"Just because it's not unintelligible screaming doesn't mean it's emo!"

"Would you just come down here already?"

The music ceased, and a few heavy 'thud's later the echidna was standing at the top of the stairs. "_What?_"

"Geez, don't bite my fuckin' head off," Sonic chuckled, holding his hands up defensively, "I gotta go grocery shopping- wanna come with?"

Knuckles glanced at his watch, "I dunno…how long's it gonna take?"

"You got a curfew or somethin'?" Sonic inquired, scratching the top of his head in puzzlement.

"Kinda…my dad'll be home at eleven."

_'And you care because…?'_ "It's only 10:20, it won't take more than a half-hour," the hedgehog assured his friend, leaning against the frame of the front door, one foot on the ground while its twin rested on the frame behind him.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Knuckles surrendered, making his way quickly down the stairs, "Wait – did you come here from work?"

"Sorta- had to take a detour," the other explained, straightening up hurriedly.

"But isn't the grocery store between work and here?" he asked as he grabbed his keys off the otherwise empty hooks near the door.

"I got a little sidetracked; had to stop a mugging on my home- anyway, point is, it was faster to lap the city than backtrack…"

"Right…"

* * *

"Ahhh, good ol' Egmans – home of the world's largest collection of disgruntled employees."

"I'd be disgruntled too if the store never closed," Knuckles snorted, his hands stuffed in his pockets as the pair entered the grocery mart, "Low pay and wildly unpredictable hours; thank God Walmart hasn't thought of doing this yet…"

Sonic merely snickered into his hand, "Can't believe you work at _Walmart…_"

"Shut up."

"Yeah, yeah," the hedgehog shrugged, pulling a scrap of paper from his jacket pocket, "Here – think ya can handle the deli stuff?"

"Well, it takes at least half a brain to do so, so I guess that rules you out…" the echidna responded, taking the note.

Sonic frowned, "Aww shaddup. Have fun with Statler and Waldorf over there."

Aside from having an eclectic, unusual assortment of human, managerial employees, the local grocer, despite its rather mediocre appearance, had a strangely high amount of robots (normally reserved for only the most high-end socialites with rich, private estates, or huge industrial complexes), including two seemingly-incompetently programmed droids back at the deli counter: a tall, chicken-humanoid-shaped robot and a shorter machine that was, at best, the world's dumbest tank, "Yeah, thanks…"

"You bet!" Sonic grinned, then, catching sight of the twitching tail of his particular favorite mechanical employee, he dashed off to have a bit of fun.

* * *

"Snively, do you have those financial reports I asked for?"

"Right here, sir," the tiny, sparsely-haired man drawled, gesturing at a manila folder resting on top of the usual clutter of his desk.

"Ah, excellent," Julian Kintobor, aka Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik, said gruffly, adjusting the collar of his white, XL-sized, button-down dress shirt, reaching out with his free hand to accept the file.

"We've been doing moderately well this quarter, sir," Snively added, as he handed it off.

While being the despotic dictator of the country was his ultimate ambition, being an evil genius didn't pay the bills, particularly when funding a private vendetta against a government that put a little too much attention on its military actions, as opposed to its internal issues, such as lowering the poverty level or lowering the wealth disparity between the few rich and the many, many poor (human and humanoid alike). Thus, this store was the result of his fallback plan for when an attack yielded less than optimal results: 'Egmans.' Not the most profitable of businesses, but it was quiet, out of the spotlight due to its outer-city location, and a nice chance to regroup.

Roughly every few months he got together enough money to try again, with renewed resources and vigor, while the city groaned beneath the financial burden of having to continuously rebuild. It was only a matter of time before he gained control of the Mobotropolis and with that kind of leverage, the country would follow suit soon after. He smiled thinly, left hand pinching the end of his long, red mustache, "People always need to eat, nephew, and we don't have much competition left…"

"Indeed…" the younger man nodded. Boredly, he glanced over at the security monitors. Keeping the place open for business twenty-four hours a day hadn't been his idea (he wasn't losing his hair due to genetics, after all – though looking at Kintobor you'd never know it), and it certainly lead to all wakes of life to wander their aisles. And one specific customer always seemed to show his face around this time of night. "Oh joy, the furry blue delinquent is back, sir…"

"What's he doing, riding a cart or bothering the janitor?" Eggman sighed, setting the folder down on his desk.

"That latter for the moment, sir…"

"Go _help_ him to make his purchases, Snively…"

"Right away, sir…"

* * *

"Isn't Swiss cheese almost the same as Provolone?"

"No!" Knuckles cried, yanking on his dreadlocks in frustration, "They're not the same at all!"

"But I already cut this one!" the tank-shaped machine, dubbed 'Grounder' by the little name-tag on his apron, responded indignantly.

"But it wasn't what I asked for!"

"Geez, you fleshy creatures are so annoying!" the droid fumed, placing down the incorrect cheese next to the slicer, "All these cheeses look alike- this isn't my primary function, you know…"

"If this isn't what you were built for, than why are you here?"

"Because _shut up_, that's why!"

Knuckles groaned, leaning against the smudged glass display case. "Right…Look, would it help if I climbed back there and pointed out the right ones?"

Grounder mumbled something incoherently, then began slicing a log of provolone cheese furiously.

The echidna watched him momentarily, then glanced over his shoulder towards the rest of the store. _'Hope Sonic's having better luck…'_

* * *

Egman's lone janitor, a monkey-humanoid-shaped robot, held a surprising amount of bitterness for his assigned position. While he was fairly efficient at his tasks of cleaning, mopping, toilet scrubbing, waste management, etc., his shoddy programming seemed to lean heavily towards a strange mixture of grumpiness and OCD. Knowing this, every time he entered the supermarket, Sonic simply couldn't resist having a bit of fun with the droid. He followed half a dozen steps behind the robot, pretending to be merely shopping for different items (at the moment, cereal) whilst casually knocking things to the floor. Since his super-speed allowed him to distance himself from the mess (and thus the blame), the robot had no choice but to have to stop, turn around, and waste time placing the items back on their shelves, muttering and swearing to itself.

He was moving towards his next target when a nasally "Ahem…!" sounded in his ear. With a slight bristling of the fur on the back of his neck, the hedgehog turned, only to find himself nose to long-pointed-nose with the store's middle manager.

"Hey, what's up…" he glanced down at the little human's name tag quickly, then back up, "Clint?"

_'Goddamn wrong nametag…'_ "You know very well what my name is, young man…"

"Aw, you know I'm just messin' with ya," he chuckled, punching the supervisor playfully (albeit perhaps intentionally a bit hard) on the arm, "Sup, Snive?"

"Just stopping by to remind you that the merchandise belongs either on the shelf or in your hand, and not on the floor," the human droned, rubbing his arm, "As I have time and time again…"

"Dunno what yer talkin' about," the hedgehog replied innocently, "Maybe your shelves are just gettin' old…"

"Nevertheless, I've been instructed to _assist_ you for the rest of your stay this evening," he said, "Perhaps together we can keep the building from falling apart and avoid making any more mess…"

Sonic sighed, shrugging his shoulders, "Whatever you say, Snives, you're the hourly-wage middle-manager…"

With a grimace, Snively merely motioned for the hedgehog to continue on his way, cursing the day he'd been reduced to a babysitter of teenagers.

* * *

"Here's your stupid cheese," the tank-shaped robot said huffily, pushing the plastic-wrapped parcel at Knuckles. It was obligatory to wish all customers 'good day' but Grounder didn't feel compelled to do so at the moment.

"Now really, was that _so_ difficult?"

The droid rolled away on his trends, no longer interested in interacting with the humanoid.

"Customer service…gotta love it," the echidna sighed, turning away from the counter, putting one hand up to his mouth, "Yo, Sonic!" he called loudly over the empty aisles, "You done yet?"

"Almost!" Sonic shouted back, leaping up on top of one of the elongated shelves, scanning the store from his elevated perch for the source of his best friend's voice, "You get the deli stuff?"

"Took forever, but yeah!" Knuckles called, making his way towards his friend. As he entered the aisle, he snickered at the sight of Snively, arms laden with the hedgehog's selections, having a minor conniption as he ordered the teen to return to the floor.

"Geez, keep your pants on, Snives," Sonic laughed, hopping back down to the ground.

"Honestly, the service in this place," the echidna grinned, "What ever happened to 'the customer is always right'?"

"Unprofitable," Snively sneered, glaring coldly, "Will there be anything else,_sirs_, or shall you be checking out now?"

"I think we're good," Knuckles answered, glancing at Sonic, "We good?"

"Yeah, that should be good," the blue hedgehog nodded, "After you, Snives," he continued, gesturing mockingly for the human to lead the way.

Glaring down his nose at the pair of them (_'Disrespectful hooligans!'), _he marched off towards the front of the store.

* * *

"Paper or plastic, sirs?" A more modern (though still somewhat strange) robot, identified as 'Decoe' on his tiny, bronze-colored nametag, inquired, the numerous boxes and assorted food items sliding down the rickety conveyor belt.

"Let's go with both," Sonic answered, "And let's stuff 'em as full as they can get – the less I gotta carry the better."

"Certainly, sir," the bot replied, his tone civil and appeasing. It began to ring up his items one at a time, carefully placing the various food products into bags, its computer 'brain' calculating the maximum efficiency for arranging the parcels into the fewest amount of bags, while also considering the strength of the bag.

Knuckles tapped a glove hand against the counter, checking his watch. 10:50 PM. Ten minutes…

Setting the third and final sack down next to the first two, Decoe turned to Sonic, "$27.88 is your total, sir."

"Hey Knux," the hedgehog said, "Can I borrow, like, $30?"

Aghast, the echidna merely spluttered incoherently for a moment, before his eyes narrowed and he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "You owe me big time," he growled as he handed over the bills.

"Don't worry, Uncle Chuck's good for it," Sonic replied, waving a hand dismissively at his friend as he handed over the cash to the robot.

Decoe opened his chest, placed the cash inside while calculating the change in his electronic brain, then doled it out accordingly, offering the small amount to the echidna, bypassing Sonic's outstretched hand. "Have a good night, sirs."

"Thanks," the hedgehog grumbled as he picked up the bags, "Snives, it's been real."

"As always…" the human drawled.

"How come ya keep looking at your watch? We've still got time, don't we?" Sonic asked, raising an eye-ridge at his friend, shifting the bags around in his arms as the pair exited the store.

"Little more than five minutes, yeah…" Knuckles said, stuffing his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting.

"Well, if you don't mind piggy-back, I could get us there in about five seconds…"

"Works for me," he shrugged, wrapping his arms around his friend's neck from behind, "Let's go."

Sonic winced mockingly, "Damn, man, what've you been eating?"

"Shut up!"

Laughing, Sonic sped off, leaving only dust and the fading image of a blue blur in his wake.

* * *

"Night man! See ya tomorrow! And don't worry, I'll have money for ya!"

"You'd better!" Knuckles yelled back, cupping his mouth with one hand to make certain he would be heard.

Sonic merely waved with one hand (the appendage carrying only one bag) as he trotted up the steps to his house, disappearing behind the door a second later.

Turning towards his house, the echidna was halfway up the walk when he froze in his tracks. His father's sleek, black car was sitting in the driveway, almost blending in to the night atmosphere but for the glint of moonlight on its sharp edges. _'Shit…'_ The lights weren't on in the house, though. _'Please let him have gone to bed…'_

He opened the door carefully, the faint moonlight vertically stretching his shadow against the bare carpet. Closing the door quietly behind him, Knuckles stood just in front of the door for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness, his heart thumping noisily within his chest.

Ever thankful for the house being carpeted, he made his first few tentative steps towards the stairs, aware of how very loudly he seemed to be breathing.

His hand had just touched the railing of the stairway, when a voice much like his (albeit a bit deeper) reached his ears, "Knuckles!"

He cringed. _'Perfect.'_ Spinning on his heel slowly, he trudged to the doorway of his father's study. "Yes, sir?"

Locke closed his laptop, then stood from his seat, the moonlight pouring in through the window shrouding most of his frontal features, "You mind telling me how the hell a set of footprints leading up to your room got plastered to the wall outside?" No pleasantries, no small talk…

Knuckles hesitated, biting his bottom lip as he wracked his brain for something –_anything_ that might qualify as a reasonable explanation.

The elder echidna took a step forward, bringing his right hand up to backhand his son across the face, "I asked you a question…" he growled, frowning down at his lone offspring.

Bottom lip now bleeding (having bitten down on it too hard on impact) Knuckles turned his gaze up to meet his father's icy glare. "Sonic decided to pay me a visit before school this morning," he stated, voice as even as he could force it.

Casually, Locke removed his gloves (he'd have to wash this pair before the bit of blood that had clung to it stained), "I want it cleaned up this weekend, understood?"

"Yes sir."

The other turned away from his son, returning to his seat and opening up his laptop once again, his business with Knuckles concluded.

Sucking on his cut, the teen turned and skulked from the room. As he made his way up the stairs, his bitterness began showing itself as he let his feet fall down heavier and heavier upon each one.

"BOY!"

_'Fuck…'_ It was all he could do not to slam his bedroom door as hard as he possibly could.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Ms. Acorn, it's time to get ready for school…"

Sally stirred, awakening to the face of the family butler, Nigel, as he lightly shook her shoulder. "I have an alarm clock you know," she said, smiling up at him, "I'm sure you have better things to do than wake me every morning."

"Perish the thought, madam," the elderly gentleman scoffed, returning the grin as he straightened up, adjusting his bowtie, "Breakfast will be served shortly," he informed her, his hands clasped together behind his back as he departed the room.

The chipmunk teen could only smile as she watched the door shut. She stretched lazily and then slid out from under the covers. Everything in her room was…pristine. Her wardrobe selection for the day was perfectly pressed and hung on the back of her closet door, shoes resting beneath it. The contents of her desk were set just so, in perfect symmetric order. Every bit of furniture was spotless, though not through any doing of her own. If she had her way, the place would be much less organized, but anything she left out of place was returned by the time she got home from school. Her father's servants had turned straightening her room into a competition, and during the weekends she had caught them fighting (if passive aggressively) for the opportunity to do so. Needless to say, any sense of privacy she might have felt within what was labeled 'hers' had vanished.

Her alarm blasted suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts and making her jump. She slammed a hand down on the clock quickly and then forced herself to start the day.

* * *

"Morning, honey- sleep well?"

"Fine Daddy," Sally replied cheerfully, taking her seat to the right of her father at the lengthy dining room table, "Busy day today?" she asked, noting the scattered papers spread before him.

"Aren't they all?" he chuckled, scanning the report nearest to him as he raised his coffee mug to his lips.

"Of course," she nodded, adding a few extra spoonfuls of sugar to the tea that had been set in front of her, "What're you working on?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's just this morning's security briefing, that's all," he replied dismissively, setting his cup back down, "Then I've got these financial reports to look over, a city council meeting, and a press conference all booked for the same two hours after breakfast," he chuckled exasperatedly, "Gonna be another one of those days…"

"Nothing I could help with is there?" she offered, smiling pityingly.

"I think you'd find this sort of work dreadfully dull," the Mayor of Mobotropolis responded, "You just worry about your schoolwork and that little paper you've been working on. How's that coming along-?" his question was interrupted by a shrill ringing that began to emit from his pocket, "Whoops, sorry, that's mine," he fumbled around for his cell phone for a second, then flipped the little telecommunication device open, "Mayor Acorn speaking."

With a frown, Sally turned her attention to her breakfast, chin resting in one hand. Her father was an important man, and a busy one, she knew that perfectly well. She'd been with him through the campaign, seen the work it required. She just wished, even if he didn't have time to be involved in _her_ life, he would let her participate in his. As proud as she was of the Mayor, she missed her father.

The mayor, of course, was too busy to notice his daughter's disappointment, as he was already well-immersed into more urgent, important business.

* * *

"Shadow? Shadow get up! We're gonna be late!"

The black-furred hedgehog humanoid groaned softly, holding his pillow firmly over his head in an effort to block out both the morning sun's intrusive rays and the voice of his sibling.  
Sixteen year old Maria pursed her lips, glaring at the lump of tangled sheets that was her adoptive brother. "Shadow…" she said warningly. She grabbed a handful of blanket towards the foot of the bed and reached underneath with the other, wrapping her fingers around his tiny black tail and yanking hard. "I'm not kidding!"

With a yelp of surprise and pain, Shadow leapt up, his quills instinctively quivering beneath the cover of his soft fur, bristling in ancient, unconscious anticipation for a further attack, "Dammit, Maria, don't do that!" he growled furiously, rubbing his backside and tender tail with both hands, his back now facing the wall defensively.

"Got you up, didn't it?" she said, hands on her hips, "Now hurry up and get dressed, we've gotta get moving."

Shadow scowled, folding his arms across his bare chest, "I've already got detention today, I don't think they'll care if I'm ten minutes late…"

"But I will," she told him, pulling open on of his dresser drawers and rifling through it, "And you're my ride, remember?"

"I can dress myself, you know," he spoke up indignantly, ignoring her inquiry, walking quickly over to his dresser, careful not to trip over his floppy ankle-length socks.

"Well you didn't seem to be making an effort," she replied.

"Cuz you're still here!" he cried exasperatedly, pushing her towards the door to his room.

"Oh please," she said, rolling her eyes as she went, "We used to bathe together – it's not like I haven't seen everything before…"

"_Don't_ remind me," he replied through gritted teeth, "That wasn't my choice…"

"Yeah, yeah." He gave her one last forceful push and she called out, "Ten minutes!" before he shut the door.

Shadow sighed in relief, using his one hand to lean against the door, _'Sisters…'_

* * *

"Wait wait, don't tell me – you 'ran into your door' this morning."

"Shut up," Knuckles scowled, adjusting his backpack to get both straps on, "You have my money?"

"Hey, I told ya I'd get it, didn't I?" Sonic said, pulling the bills from his pocket and waving them in front of his friend's nose.

The echidna snatched the cash away from his friend, flipping through them to make sure it was all there, "Next time, wouldn't it be prudent to, oh I dunno, actually _have_ money next time you go shopping?"

"Details, details," Sonic shrugged, "Then what would I need _you_ for?"

"To keep out of jail, for one…"

The hedgehog laughed, albeit a bit nervously, and swung one arm around his friend's shoulders, "Oh c'mon, ya know I'm just teasing…"

"Yeah, yeah," the other grumbled, "So, what excuses do you have for not doin' your homework today?"

"Haven't thought 'em up yet- you know me, I work best under pressure."

"Of course," he nodded, "Lemme know how that turns out for ya."

"I'll tell ya all about it when we visit Rouge for lunch- which we were _supposed _to do yesterday," Sonic replied, his hands folded up behind his head as they walked.

"W-wait what?" Knuckles turned sharply, "You're still planning on going??"

"Yes, _we_ are."

"But, but, but –"

Sonic ignored his friend's protests as he took the steps leading up to the school two at a time, "No chickening out this time!" he called over his shoulder, "I gotta get to English, see ya back here at 11!"

"Ah–" His voice died in his throat as the hedgehog vanished into the crowd of students bustling into the building. With a defeated sigh, he allowed himself to be swept along with the human tide.

* * *

"Great-great nephew, it's been too long!"

Snively's neck nearly cracked as his head snapped up from reviewing the morning inventory and he blinked back tears as he gaped up at the tall, gray-mustached man standing before him. "Uh-Uncle Gerald, sir!" he stammered, "D-didn't know you were coming to town…"

"Just moved in as a matter of fact!" the old professor explained, holding his hands behind his back as he straightened up to his full height (which easily cleared that of his relation by at least six inches), "I see you're still here- no aspirations in life beyond working for my grandson, eh?"

"Not at the moment, sir, no," the young man said dryly, "Shall I let him know you're here?"

"No need for such formalities," Gerald Kintobor smiled, "Please, lead the way."

"Of course," Snively nodded, unable to keep the smirk from his lips as he turned and headed towards the back room.

The professor followed along two steps behind, tipping his dapper, old-fashioned bowler hat to the few, early morning customers already shopping.

Silently snickering to himself, Snively pulled the office door open and gestured the old man inside.

"Knock knock, Julian!"

A pile of papers and pens flew upwards as Robotnik jumped clear out of his swivel-chair. Clutching his chest as the mess fluttered and clattered to the floor around him, he glanced towards the door. "Doctor!" he said, composing himself as best he could, "What a surprise!"

"Mr. Manager," Gerald offered his grandson his hand, deliberately ignoring the fact that his grandson had a Ph.D. in computer sciences and engineering (as it obviously wasn't being put to good use).

"You should have called," Julian told him, shaking the hand a bit more forcefully than necessary, jaw clenched behind his smile, "What brings you to my neck of the country?"

"Oh, you know me," the other replied with a chuckled as he hand dropped to his side, "Don't like to settle, that's all. I've rented a house about a half-hour from here that we're staying in."

"Isn't that…wonderful," Robotnik forced himself to say, "So…how are the rugrats? Still dressing them alike?" The only times he'd ever seen either of the pair were in photographs, mailed each Christmas with a dreadfully festive card and a letter describing the highlights of the year (usually the only communication in which he and his grandfather ever partook), and the two of them were always dressed to match in equally dreadfully festive outfits.

"They're a bit beyond that age, I'm afraid," Gerald sighed, hanging his hat up on one of the hooks on the door, "Shadow will be eighteen in a month, if you can believe that, and your sister just turned seventeen a few weeks ago."

"Time certainly does fly, doesn't it?" Julian replied, tugging at his mustache, "We'll have to stop in and see them sometime," he said insincerely.

"Excellent idea!" the old man enthused, settling down heavily in the chair across from his grandson's desk, "You and Snively _must_ join us for dinner tonight!"

"We what??" Snively asked, speaking up for the first time.

"We _what?!_" Robotnik echoed, aghast.

"Tonight, 7:00, don't be late," Dr. Kintobor stated firmly, the matter quite finalized in his mind, "Now then, tell me: how's business? I'm guessing the robots working out there are homemade? Store-bought models run in the millions and I don't know any grocer with that sort of spare cash…"

"Yes yes, all my own design," the red-mustached man answered, still a bit befuddled, but resigning himself to keep the conversation moving, "Some more successful than others, but I haven't the heart to scrap them – and they're cheaper than living labor."

"Nice to know $250,000 worth of college and graduate school is doing _something_ for you…"

"It's done more than you know, Doctor," he murmured.

"Sorry?" the old man asked, leaning forward in his seat. As his age (76, but still spry!) his senses had begun to diminish, bit by bit, starting with his hearing and eyesight.

"Nothing, nothing!" Julian shook his head, "Would you care for a tour of the facilities?"

"Certainly," the elder human said, standing back up from his seat and straightening out his suit jacket.

"Excellent! Right this way, then," Robotnik said, opening the office door once again and waving his grandfather outside, "Snively, keep an eye on things."

"Yes sir…" Snively replied dolefully, his clipboard held at his side.

* * *

One session of Modern History and Economics under his belt, the lunch bell had rung and Knuckles found himself sitting on the steps of Mobotropolis High, trying to fathom why exactly he was there and hoping that his best friend's short attention span would lead him to forget their plans.

"Damn, English Lit and Physics in the same morning," Sonic sighed, now seated directly next to his friend due to a well-timed blaze of speed, "School's sucking harder than usual this year…"

Only slightly phased, the echidna shrugged, "Could be the senioritis, I suppose. Though you've had that since kindergarten, haven't you?" he added with a grin.

"Kindergarten was great, man," the blue hedgehog laughed, standing up and stretching, "No homework, recess for most of the day- that was the life."

"Now growing up –_that's_ what really sucks," Knuckles said, rising as well.

"Too true," Sonic nodded, "Now c'mon, let's go eat."

"Do we _have_ to do this?"

Sonic held out his arms expectantly.

Scowling, the echidna shook his head. "It's not far – if you go half speed, I can keep up with you just fine." If he had to go, he certainly _not_ be arriving _that_ way.

The other shrugged, his hands dropping back down to his sides, "Have it your way," he hopped down the steps and took off at what he considered to be a 'light jog'.

Teeth clenched with determination, Knuckles kicked off, having to build up to full speed just to keep up.

"How come you're so nervous about visiting Rouge, anyway? She baby-sat for us for years; is it 'cause you like her?" Sonic asked casually, his hands folded behind his head as he continued his light cardiovascular workout.

"Never said…that…" the echidna huffed, wishing he didn't have to exert _quite_ so much of his breath to his movement, "An' I'm not…nervous…"

"Or are you just embarrassed because you know she likes you?" the hedgehog continued teasingly, raising an eye-ridge at his friend.

"Wh-what?!" Knuckles nearly tripped, "No she doesn't…"

Sonic slowed just a hair, grinning broadly, "Bullshit."

"Not to sound…interested or anything…" Knuckles huffed, "But what makes you…think she does?"

"Well, the way she checks you out, for one…"

"She…what?" he asked tentatively, the color in his face no longer just from the effort of keeping pace with his friend.

"And she's always flirting with you," Sonic continued, "Not that'd you'd ever notice…"

"But she's like that with everyone…"

"Yeah, but it…I dunno, means somethin' more with you."

"And you can tell this how?"

"I've had actual interactions with girls, Knux…"

"Shut up!"

"Better put the breaks on dude, we're here," Sonic informed his friend, pointing directly in front of them at the rapidly approaching 'Hooters'.

"Huh? Ah shit!" 'Putting on the breaks' was never so difficult when one wasn't planning it (and cracked pavement never helped) and one wrong step sent the echidna toppling head over tail down the sidewalk.

Sonic winced sympathetically, slowing down to an average person's jog as he hurried over to the echidna, "You alright?" he asked, offering his friend a hand.

"Sure," Knuckles said weakly, coughing, "Just lemme put my jaw back in place." He reached up, taking the offered hand, and getting to his feet.

"Well, at least you landed on your head- no place thicker," Sonic laughed.

"You boys comin' in or you just gonna block our walkway all afternoon?"

Both humanoids looked up to find Rouge standing half a dozen feet away from them at the door of the restaurant, "Hey, Rouge, how's it goin'?" the hedgehog called, waving a gloved hand at the bat-humanoid.

"Better now," she smirked, "Aren't you two a day late?"

"Not my fault," Sonic stated before Knuckles (who was still rubbing his sore chin gingerly) could speak.

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow at them, "Well why don't you come on in and elaborate for me."

"Can do- c'mon moron," Sonic nodded, pulling a suddenly protesting (albeit in spluttering gibberish) Knuckles along with him into the restaurant.

* * *

"Well this has been…informative," Gerald said, twisting his mustache absentmindedly.

"I'm afraid there's not much to see in a supermarket," Robotnik shrugged indifferently (_'If he's so bored why can't he just _leave_?'_) as they rounded another corner down the cereal aisle.

"Yes…makes me sad to think of the millions of other things you could be doing with that PhD of yours…" the old man said with a sigh.

"So, how is that crawler of yours?" Julian inquired, forcibly steering the topic of conversation away from himself.

Gerald lashed out with his walking stick (which was really only for decoration), whacking his grandson in the shins. "As well as can be expected. Still a bit of a trouble-maker, but we're working on that."

Eggman winced, but ignored his grandfather's impudent action, "Still, erm, destroying the house with those powers of his? Or did he grow out of them?"

"The powers, no. The habit of wreaking the house, yes, thank heavens," the professor answered, "I've gotten him into martial arts, and he's really gotten control of his strength. His temper's another story, of course."

_'Super powers, martial arts, a natural-born inferiority complex from his second-class status, _and_ a nasty temper? What a perfect weapon he'd make…'_ the younger Kintobor contemplated greedily, "Has he found employment yet?"

The old man placed a hand on his chin, considering, "Never even thought about it before. I suppose he _is_ a bit overdue for a bit of real world employment…"

"At 17? I'd certainly say so," Eggman agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

"Very well," Gerald nodded, "You may present him with the idea tonight."

_'Excellent…'_ "Certainly, grandfather, certainly."

* * *

"Guess what I found in the back??" Rouge sang, sashaying towards the boys corner table, tray of drinks balanced perfectly in one hand, "Full Throttle for my favorite boy in blue, and Grape Soda for you, Red."

"Nice!" Sonic smiled, taking his highly-caffeinated drink off of the tray, "You're the best, Rouge."

"Th-thanks," Knuckles mumbled, trying to keep his gaze on the purple, carbonated drink rather than the unexpectedly generous view he had down the bat-humanoid's top as she bent over slightly to pick up the tray again.

"My pleasure," she purred, giving him a wink, "About ready to order?"

"Sure," Sonic nodded, offering her his menu, "I'll have the hot dog and curly fries bit- and can ya put chili on top of it like last time? That was awesome…"

"I'll see what I can do," she nodded, "How 'bout you, Red?" she asked dragging one finger lightly under Knuckles' chin.

Knuckles swallowed nervously, his cheeks tingeing a deep shade of crimson, "Uh, erm, I-I'll have the twenty piece chicken wings," he stammered, thankful that her gaze was quite mesmerizing, as this way he didn't have to acknowledge Sonic's smug, knowing stare.

She smirked, "Well_somebody's_ hungry today. You got it. Be back in a bit, boys."

"We'll be waiting," the hedgehog assured her, slapping the bat lightly on the rear as she turned to depart.

"I charge extra for that, I hope you know!" she told him as she strode off.

"Totally worth it!" He chuckled to himself and returned to his drink, only to have his laughter die in his throat as he noticed the death glare the echidna was shooting him, "What??"

"Why do you do that?"

"What?" he repeated nonchalantly, leaning back in his seat.

"_That_…" Knuckles repeated, waving after Rouge, "It's…disrespectful."

"Dude, look around you," Sonic laughed, taking another short sip of his beverage, "I'm being almost well-behaved compared to most of these guys. Maybe if you tried it yourself once in a while that big ol' stick would fall outta yer ass…"

"I _don't _have a…" he trailed off, too embarrassed to repeat the phrase.

"Not always," the other countered, "But more often than not; I can understand, sometimes. Ya know, if you'd just move in with me an' Uncle Chuck, I bet you'd be a lot less stressed- lot less doors to run into at my place too."

"We've been through this before…I _can't_."

"You're seventeen, you _can_."

"Drop it, alright? I'm not talking about this anymore."

"You can be a real jackass sometimes, ya know that?" Sonic inquired, his tone much cooler than it had been merely a moment earlier.

Knuckles sighed. _Why_ did his conversations always seem to turn to this? Sonic had gotten increasingly insistent lately, but why? There were times prior when it had been much, much worse than this, so he couldn't understand the sudden urgent interest. "Look, I _know_ you're just trying to help, alright? But it's not as simple as you think…"

"Yeah, whatever," the blue hedgehog shrugged, obviously unconvinced, "This probably isn't the place for this anyway," he sighed, glancing about at their less than savory company, "So, um…how's the paper comin'? Haven't seen Silver hangin' out with Tails and Amy much in the past few days, so I guess he must be pretty busy…"

Thanking the stars for the change in subject, Knuckles shrugged, "We go to print in two days and we've got absolutely nothing to write about. At the moment we're all sort of scrambling for anything, some of us more zealously than others.

"Sounds like fun…"

"Always is. Sometimes I really wonder why we bother, and then Sally starts talking and…well, no one ever wants to let her down – Silver can vouch for that."

"Yeah, wouldn't wanna disappoint the class prez," Sonic rolled his eyes, "Might put a blemish on her spotless record…"

"It's not _that_," he insisted.

"Man, I gotta meet this 'perfect girl' a' yours sometime- how come you aren't in love with _her_?"

"I don't know," he said, bewildered at the question, "I'm just not."

"So you admit that you really _are_ in love with Rouge," Sonic smiled widely, proud of himself for having 'maneuvered' the conversation as such.

"_What??_ I didn't say _that!_"

"But you were thinkin' it."

To this statement, Knuckles could only scowl, cheeks flushed.

_'I was right? Damn I'm good…'_ Sonic merely took a long, self-satisfied swig of his drink.

"Ok boys, hope you haven't lost your appetites while I've been gone." Rouge was suddenly at the table again, a tray perfectly balanced in each hand, "So who missed me the most?" she asked, holding them just out of reach.

"Go ahead, 'Red', you can have this one," the blue-furred hedgehog stated, smirking at the usage of Rouge's nickname for his best friend.

Knuckles gritted his teeth at Sonic and then glanced up at the bat, who was eyeing him knowingly. Head sinking down between his shoulders, he timidly raised one hand.

"Not that I didn't miss ya too," Sonic assured her, eyeing his meal eagerly.

"Yeah, I figured," she replied, leaning over to set the trays down, "I mean, who wouldn't go through withdrawal after a taste of these babies," she added, though whether she meant the edibles or her own healthy bosom wasn't clear.

"Too true…" Sonic agreed, clearly no longer watching his food.

Rouge smirked, secretly pleased as she noticed that the hedgehog wasn't the only one whose thoughts were far from innocent. "Sure look tasty, don't they Red?"

Caught off-guard, Knuckles hastily forced his gaze down to his plate of chicken wings, sitting up straighter so his nose wasn't _quite_ so close to her, "C-Certainly, um, thanks…"

Her confident smile flickered off her face but she recovered as she straightened up. "Call me if you need anything else."

Sonic watched her depart disappointedly, then rounded on his best friend irritably, "Dude…"

"What?!"

"Dude!"

"What was I supposed to do? Grope her?!"

"It's no wonder you've never had a damn girlfriend!" Sonic cried in exasperation, pausing to take a bite of his chili dog, "Geez, you could've at least _acknowledged_ the fact that she's hot! Fuckballs!"

"Excuse me for not being _quite_ so blunt in displaying my attraction."

"There's a big distinction between subtlety and indifference."

"I-I'm not…indifferent…"

"Think she knows that?" the hedgehog countered, pouring a bit of salt from the shaker onto his fries.

"I…I…I…"

"Yeah, neither do I."

* * *

"Silver, I am _very_disappointed in you," Dr. Sawyer said, shaking her head at the hedgehog sitting on the opposite side of her desk.

The white-furred hedgehog said nothing, merely staring down at his hands, which were folded together in his lap.

"You know perfectly well the difference between investigative journalism and _breaking and entering_."

"But the door was unlocked," he protested feebly, "And the file cabinets were too…"

"They weren't when Principal Brantley's secretary left the office," she pointed out.

"My fingerprints aren't on either of those locks," he pointed out in what he imagined was a very reasonable manner.

"You wear gloves."

"There aren't marks of _any_ kind on those locks."

"You're a documented telekinetic, Silver."

He sighed, fresh out of excuses, hanging his head, "Yes, ma'am…"

"Like I said, I'm very disappointed in you," she repeated sternly, "When I convinced the board not to restrain your powers when you came here as a freshman, I thought I could trust you to behave yourself."

Silver's eyes widened slightly, the thought having never occurred to him. At worst he'd figured he'd get detention, not some sort of restraint-collar, "Sorry, ma'am- I, er, well, it's just…we're kinda struggling to think up good articles for the paper this semester, I thought maybe I could find something exciting in the files…"

"And while I appreciate your dedication to your extra-curricular activities, those files are classified for a reason," she told him, "Dull as it is, you'll have to stick to public knowledge for your articles."

"Very well, ma'am."

"Good. You're excused."

"…Sorry?"

"I hope that was more sincere than it sounded," she said, smiling dryly.

He blinked, equally confused, "Oh! Um, no, I just meant…so, I can just…go?"

"Silver, any other student would be two hallways away by now," she said, eyeing him curiously, "Since it was a first time offence, I thought I might just let you off with a warning. Do you think you deserve more?"

"N-no, ma'am!!" he stammered, nearly knocking over his chair as he stood up hastily, "Thanks!" he called over his shoulder as he hurried out the door.

"Anytime," she called after him, smiling to herself as she returned to the afternoon's paperwork.

Silver exhaled softly as he pulled the door to the guidance counselor's office closed behind him, his free hand running down the back of his furry spikes. He was relieved, of course, that he had avoided getting in trouble, but the lack of consequences (and his own cowardly efforts of appeasement) left an unusually sour aftertaste in his mouth. Even when he broke the rules purposefully, which was about as common an occurrence as a blue moon, he couldn't help but reverse his position the instant he was caught, trying desperately to stay out of trouble. He placed his hands in the pockets of his baggy, slightly-too-long jeans and began to trudge gloomily down the hallway, his boots inadvertently adding scuffmarks to the quite less than immaculate, lime-green tiling.

Maybe that was why he admired Sonic so much- not only did the blue hedgehog violate school policy at almost every opportunity he got, he did it with impunity, and accepted the consequences without a second thought. At least Sonic had the balls to own up to his actions, _'Well, that's not the only reason…'_ Silver admitted, treading automatically around the smoke-filled bathrooms as he passed them. The second reason, though Silver would be quite mortified if the others were to find out, was the blue hedgehog's ironclad possession of a certain pink, 17-year-old female's affections…

...who at the moment was waving him over from the far corner of the lunch room. "Heya Silver," Amy greeted him as he made his way over, "What took ya so long?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothin' much- got busted for sneaking into the guidance counselor's office," he stated casually, sliding onto the bench across from Tails.

"You snuck into the counselor's office?" she asked.

"You got busted?" Tails sniggered.

"Shut up," Silver glared at Tails, not wishing to seem too foolish in present company without a chance to explain himself, "I was just looking for a story for the paper, that's all. She couldn't prove I'd actually done anything, so I didn't get in trouble…"

"Find anything interesting while you were in there?" Amy asked, chewing on the straw from her now-empty soda.

"Not really, I didn't get very far," he mumbled embarrassedly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Bummer," she sighed, "Bet they've got decades worth of dirt stashed in there."

"Yeah, probably…" he nodded, stealing a final glance at Amy before the lunch bell rang. Whatever was kept in those filing cabinets could only be the tiniest fraction of information compared to the secrets locked away in the minds and hearts of the student body.

* * *

"So! Know why it was really good I gave you money this morning?"

"…I hate you."

"Aww, you're just sayin' that," Sonic said, waving one hand dismissively as he licked the chili sauce off the fingers of the other, "Besides, you still gotta manage to compliment Rouge before we leave."

"You're gonna owe me…_again_," Knuckles growled, ignoring Sonic's last statement.

"Yeah, yeah, what else is new? Go on, go find 'er."

"I'll catch her on our way out, alright?" the echidna relented, pulling out his wallet, "She knows we've gotta get back to school in a few minutes anyway, so I'm sure she'll bring over the check soon."

"Yeah…or we could do this," the hedgehog said, putting two fingers in his mouth and letting out a two-note whistle that caught the attention of every waitress in the place. "So sorry to interrupt ladies, but there's a classy bat-gal somewhere in your midst that I've just _got_ to see again."

Bunnie Rabbot, who was in the middle of collecting dishes to return to the backroom, was unable to help but giggle at the hedgehog's antics, "Just hold yer lil' ol' horses, hun, I'll get 'er for ya," she assured him, placing the last few plates from the empty table onto her tray. She carried them with her through the stainless steel double doors into the back room, calling boisterously in a sing-song tone, "Oh, Rouge, honey…"

"See? That wasn't hard at all," Sonic smirked, settling into his seat, hands behind his head.

"I _really_ hate you…"

"You just keep tellin' yerself that, buddy."

"You called?"

"We gotta get back to school soon, so we'll need the check in all good time, but Knuckles had something to say first, didn't ya buddy?" Sonic inquired sweetly, resting his chin in one hand as he stared at the echidna.

The red-furred teen had to keep the instinctual growl from rising out of his chest as he glared at the hedgehog. Did he live for no other purpose than to embarrass him?? He glanced up at Rouge, swallowed heavily as his stomach did a somersault inside of him, and then mumbled, "You look lovely today…"

"Hmm?" she raised an eyebrow, "Didn't quite catch that, honey."

"Isaidyoulooklovelytoday!" he repeated hastily, feeling more and more mortified by the second.

Rouge blinked in bewilderment and Sonic snickered. "Might wanna try that one more time – in English this time."

With a guttural growl, Knuckles clenched his fists together at his sides. Sonic was doing this on purpose- calling attention to this whole affair, forcing him to keep repeating himself, _'Dammit!'_ He took a deep breath, then released it slowly, "I said," he started again, "That I think you look _lovely_ today, Rouge…"

To his surprise, he saw the color rise in her cheeks as she smiled, a rare, genuine, subtle smile that caused his stomach to go into acrobatic overtime. "I…well…thank you, Knuckles."

"Welcome…" he mumbled, now staring intently at his mostly-emptied plate.

"You guys better head back to school," she said, "I'll put this on your tab – that way you have an excuse to come see me again." She leaned down and planted a kiss on the echidna's cheek.

Knuckles flushed an even brighter shade of red than usual, his cheeks burning with the excess blood that had rushed to his face.

"You're the best, Rouge," Sonic said appreciatively, standing up from his seat, "C'mon, 'Red', we gotta go."

"Anytime, Sonic," she said, waving as the hedgehog dragged the still-dazed echidna out the door, "See you boys later."

"See ya! Say good-bye, Knux."

"…Bye…"

"Well I declare," Bunnie said quietly, coming up beside her friend, "If that wasn't the sweetest darn thing I ever saw…"

"Hmm?" Rouge asked, having not been paying perfect attention, her eyes still on the door, "Oh, yes…he's a real gentleman…"

* * *

"Hey, Mr. Farnsworth, how's it goin'?"

"Better before…" the old man sighed. Of all the duties assigned him, detention supervisor had to be his absolute least favorite. "Completed the repairs already, have you?"

"Of course," Sonic replied as he slid into one of the empty desks scattered about the room, removing his backpack and placing it on the ground next to the door, "If you don't want me to be here, you could always ask Dr. Sawyer to let me go early," he suggested casually.

"Ha! And have you go free while I'm stuck here? Fat chance," Farnsworth laughed, "You're here for the long haul, just like the rest of us. Now sit down, and shut up."

"But I'm already sitting-"

"Then just shut up."

Frowning slightly, Sonic glanced around the room. There was only one occupant beside himself at the old man, a black hedgehog with red stripes who had his feet propped up on the desk in front of him and iPod earbuds in his ears.

_'Damn this is gonna take forever…'_ Sonic sighed, his foot tapping restlessly against the ground. At least he wouldn't get yelled at for missing track practice (not that he needed any practice, but attending them was a requirement in order to remain on the team), as coach had been forced to temporarily postpone their practices until he could find them a suitable place to do so. Some moron had torn up their freshly-paved track earlier in the week…

After 16 minutes and 36 seconds (he counted) Farnsworth had dozed off, and he found himself contemplating the consequences of escaping. He was in the middle of mentally composing his speech to Sawyer about how Farnsworth was obviously senile and how _of course_ he had stayed for the entire duration of his punishment when someone asked, "So what're ya in for?"

Sonic glanced over at his fellow detention inmate, who had taken out one of the earbuds, "I rode my skateboard through the cafeteria and grinded down the lunch-line," he explained, as if this were a fairly occurrence in everyday life.

"That was you?" the dark-furred hedgehog asked, "_Nice._"

"Yeah, I thought so," the blue hedgehog smirked, leaning back in his seat, "Totally worth one detention…"

The other stretched out his hand, "Shadow Kintobor."

"Sonic Hedgehog," the blue-furred humanoid replied, accepting the handshake, "My family line's pretty old…" he explained, chuckling embarrassedly.

"Wow, you're not kidding," Shadow said, eyes wide, "Can you really trace it all the way back to the colonization?"

"My Uncle Chuck has it all written down somewhere," Sonic nodded, his hands falling back down to his sides.

"Sweet."

"Kintobor…Kintobor…Ya know, that sounds really familiar, but I just can't place it…"

"It's an adopted name," he explained, "Pretty sure I'm the first humanoid to take it."

"Orphan, huh?" he inquired tentatively, "Same here, actually."

"You don't say…" Shadow said, smiling just slightly. _'Finally! Someone in this hellhole worth _talking_ to.'_ "You remember your parents at all? If you don't mind my asking…"

"A little bit," Sonic shrugged, hoping to seem more casual with the topic than he felt (particularly with someone he'd just met), "They died when I was pretty young."

"I have no memories of mine," the dark-furred one said, pulling his second earbud out, "No images, no names, nothing. And I was nearly three when I came into the guardianship of the old man who raised me."

"Happens sometimes, I guess. I know I don't have many memories from when I was three," Sonic offered sympathetically, "Sorry for asking, but are you new here? I haven't seen you around before, that's all…"

"Just moved to town this past weekend, yeah," he nodded, "As you can see, I'm off to a wonderful start," he added with a half-hearted laugh.

Sonic let out a short laugh as well, "Must've made quite an impression with Dr. Sawyer…"

"She actually did a double take when they hauled me in – said she was expecting someone else when security told her they'd caught a hedgehog."

"Heh, yeah, the doc and I have developed quite a rapport- now me an' security, that's a different story…"

Shadow chuckled, "I hafta say, the guards at my old schools were never so zealous or so ill-suited to being such. Buncha clumsy assholes…"

"Tell me about it- guess I should've left the cafeteria alone: they probably take their pay in food…"

"Wouldn't surprise me at all," Shadow snickered, "No wonder they ride around in those ridiculous golf carts."

"Oh God, the golf carts…" Sonic sighed, "They should get those fat-people-mobiles like they have at retail stores."

Shadow fell forward against his desk, shaking with laughter, unable to respond.

"Too bad you hadn't known my name at the time- you probably could've convinced Sawyer that the blind idiots caught the wrong guy."

"Aww, I don't mind detention," he shook his head, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, "Leads to some good conversation, apparently."

"Well, anything beyond caveman grunting would qualify as good conversation in detention…"

"True enough," he nodded, settling back in his chair again.

"So what'd they catch you doin' anyway?"

"Oh! Oh this is great, you'll get a kick outta this," Shadow said, sitting back up excitedly, "So I was riding my motorcycle around the parking lot – it's a sweet ride, you'll hafta see it sometime…"

"You have a motorcycle? Damn, man…" Sonic inquired, his ears perking up slightly in interest as he sat up in his seat. While he had no need for motor vehicles of any sort (for obvious reasons), he could still appreciate the 'coolness' magnitude of owning a motorcycle at their age.

"Yeah, been workin' on it for a couple years now," the dark-furred hedgehog said, chest puffed out proudly, "And it can pull some sweet tricks too, which is what I was practicing in the parking lot when the golf cart brigade showed up."

"Double-chins jigglin' all the way," Sonic added with a chuckle.

"Man, what a chase that was," Shadow continued, gesturing as he spoke, "We went twice around the parking lot, up and down main street, through the football field – they finally caught me after about half a dozen laps around the track. Realized that if they just stopped moving I'd run into 'em and I couldn't afford to total my bike on their dumb asses, so I had to stop."

The laughter on Sonic's face, a present and brightening force through most of the story, died almost instantly, his eyes narrowed dangerously. His opinion of the humanoid had done nearly a complete 180 in a matter of seconds, "So, uh, guess you tore up the track pretty bad, huh?" he asked, his casual tone masking the rapidly building sense of anger and resentment building up within him.

"I guess, I dunno, wasn't really paying too close attention," Shadow shrugged.

"Right, right," Sonic said, gritting his teeth in restraint, "Great story, dude, great story…" he forced himself to lie, standing up under the pretense of stretching his stiff limbs, "So, when you aren't in detention, you play any sports or anything?"

"Um, no not really, why? Do you?"

"Two-time national_track_ champion," Sonic stated coldly, "Nice to meet you," In a split-second, he had crossed the room, his fist connecting firmly with the black-furred hedgehog's jaw.

Shadow was knocked from his chair, but caught himself before he fell to the floor. Rubbing his jaw, he met the eyes of his assailant darkly, "Don't tell me you're a fucking preppy-ass jock…"

In his seat at the front of the classroom, Mr. Farnsworth snorted loudly, his REM cycle disrupted slightly by the unexpected, loud noise.

Sonic snorted, shaking his head in disgust at the other hedgehog. The guys on his track team worked their asses off every damn day for months in preparation for each season, now they didn't even have a place to practice, let alone compete…He turned on his heels and headed for the door to the room. Whatever minuscule risk of further punishment he incurred by leaving detention early was well-worth not having to be in the same room as this other hedgehog any longer…

He was halfway out the door when Shadow's fist wrapped itself around his shirt collar, slamming him up against the doorframe, "_Nobody_ hits me and just walks away…"

"Trust me, you should be grateful I let you off that easy," Sonic replied, reaching up under the other's tight grip to mirror his actions.

"We'll just see who let's who off easy," Shadow growled, red eyes flaring.

"Fine- let's step outside, 'fore we wake sleepin' ugly here…"

"Fine."

* * *

"Did you get to talk to your dad last night, Sally?" Silver asked, leaning back precariously in his seat (with the aid of his mental abilities).

"Sorry," she shook her head, "I only saw him for a minute this morning. I'll try again tonight – maybe I can squeeze something into his schedule," she added with a small laugh.

"Must be tough having a famous parent…" he commented sympathetically.

"It has its ups and downs," she shrugged, "And lack of free time is a big down."

"Could be worse," Knuckles muttered quietly, the sound of his fingers tapping against the keyboard nearly drowning out his voice.

Sally shot him a brief, guilty look and then continued, "Anyway, I'm about ready to concede that we're just going to have a thinner issue this month. We'll keep our fingers for more exciting happenings next month."

"Oh well," Silver sighed dejectedly, "'Bathroom repairs: too slow?' it is then…"

She giggled, "Sorry, Silver – the job can't _always_ be glamorous."

He nodded in resignation, turning back towards his computer screen, when suddenly his sensitive ears perked up, "Hey, does anyone else hear that?"

"Hmm?" Knuckles paused his typing and sat up straighter. As the room went silent, he_could_ in fact hear something – something that, were it not muffled by the walls of the building, would no doubt be _very_ loud.

"What _is_ that?" Sally murmured.

"Sounds like…chanting, maybe?" the white-furred hedgehog suggested.

"The hell…?" The echidna rose from his seat and strode over to the windows lining the far wall. Upon pushing one of the panes open the sound filled the room. In the distance, he could make out a crowd of football players in the student parking lot, all circled around one spot.

"What are they saying?" Sally mused, coming up beside him, neck straining for a better view.

"Pretty obvious, isn't it?" Knuckles snorted disgustedly, his arms folded across his chest, "Fight."

"Fight? Really?" Silver asked, scrambling over as well, "Can you see who it is??"

The echidna squinted, trying to see beyond the misshapen human and humanoid circle, but all he could make out were a pair of blurs: one black, one…blue, "Ah, shit!" he groaned, opening up the window.

"Who is it?" Silver repeated, still unable to make out the pair.

"Sonic," Knuckles grunted, hopping out of the window.

"Sonic?!" the white hedgehog echoed.

"Where are you going??" Sally called after him.

"To break up a fight!" he called over his shoulder, running out towards the field, "Stay there, you might get hurt!"

"Ah! But…" she frowned, then swung one leg up onto the window sill, "C'mon!"

"But he said to say here," Silver protested feebly, wringing his hands anxiously as he floated out the open window behind Sally.

"You really wanna miss this?" she asked.

"W-Well, no, I guess not…" he admitted, touching down softly on the grass, one hand instinctively touching his camera (which was on a strap around his neck) in order to assure himself that it was undamaged.

"Then let's go," she said, grabbing him by the wrist and tugging him off in the direction of the parking lot.

"Yes, ma'am…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Knuckles was positively fuming. He was sitting outside the guidance counselor's office, arms folded across his chest, dirt and just a bit of blood speckling his clothes and fur, his jaw set in a scowl. To either side of him was a hedgehog, both looking equaling disgruntled and even more roughed-up, with clothes torn and quills still bristling.

The principal had already departed for the day, but even if he hadn't, they still would've ended up in Dr. Sawyer's office: humanoid problems, unless an expulsion or suspension was necessary (or a human, teacher or parent, complained), were to be handled by the guidance counselor as she was "better suited" to deal with such matters.

All three straightened up just slightly as the cat entered. "I'm not happy boys," she said, shaking her head, "Now I've heard what security has to say – any of you want to offer me an explanation as to just what in heaven's name happened this afternoon?"

"How 'bout 'boys will be boys'?" Sonic offered hopefully.

She frowned coldly at him.

"Or…not…" he mumbled, head sinking into his shoulders.

"While this type of incident is new, it's not much of a stretch for you, Sonic," she said, "And you're off to a wonderful start, Shadow," she added, "But Knuckles! I have to say I'm _surprised_ at you…"

"Wha-?" the echidna blinked, flabbergasted, his hands gripping his knees for lack of better options, "Me?"

"You've never been aggressive outside of wrestling before," she said, "I asked for someone to contradict the security's story – they said they caught you right in the middle of the brawl, were you?"

"I was trying to make this moron knock it off!" he protested indignantly, glaring furiously at Sonic.

Sonic let out a high-pitched, guilty laugh.

"Now _that_ makes more sense," she said, "So do either of you two have anything to add, or can I assume the rest of the report is accurate?"

"What's it say?" the blue-furred hedgehog inquired tentatively. Shadow merely continued to stare out the window of the guidance counselor's office, his arms folded moodily across his chest.

"That they caught the pair of you 'going at it like rabid dogs'," she said, quoting the ever-loquacious security staff.

Sonic thought for a moment, then shrugged, "Sounds about right."

"Alright then," she said, "You boys know the rules. All three of you will serve Saturday detention with me, and then you two will continue with detention for the duration of next week, work obligations permitting."

"What!?!" Sonic cried, both surprised and upset.

"S-Saturday detention!?" Knuckles spluttered, his decibel level overpowering that of his best friend.

"You heard me," she said firmly, "I don't need to call any parents about this, do I?"

"No, no, of course not, it's just…" Knuckles trailed off, unwilling to say anything further on the subject, "Never mind…"

"It's just one afternoon," she told him, "And hopefully I won't be seeing any of you in here until then."

"You'll start to miss me after a couple'a days, doc…" Sonic spoke up, a shade of his usual confident, laid-back demeanor returning.

"It's hard to miss you when you're always here," she said, waving a finger at him, "Now go on, get out of here."

All three stood and headed for the door, Shadow and Sonic glowering at each other lividly. The dark-furred hedgehog bumped his shoulder hard into Sonic's as the two squeezed through the doorway, then he headed down the hallway back towards the detention room (where Mr. Farnsworth was undoubtedly still snoozing away) to collect his effects.

"Sorry about this, man," Sonic mumbled once he and Knuckles were alone in the hallway, "You didn't have to jump in, you know."

"What're friends for?" he shrugged, smiling wearily, "Besides, I didn't want you to wind up killing each other…"

"Thanks, man, I guess that's two I owe ya now, huh?" Sonic muttered, tapping his shoes against the ground embarrassedly, "So…what's so important about Saturday? I mean, yeah, I know it's a day off an' all, but…"

The echidna hesitated, then said slowly, "I have to…wash your tracks off the house before Saturday night, and I have to work tomorrow after school, so that afternoon was the only time I had to do it."

Sonic blinked once, cocking his head to the side, "I'll do it for you," he offered, "You can just tell your dad that you did it while he was at work."

"Really? You'd do that?"

"No, Knux, I'm just a horrible dick of a person," Sonic sighed, rolling his eyes, "Of course I will. What're best friends for, huh?"

"Right, well, um, thanks…" he said, "Guess that makes it only one you owe me now," he added with a smile.

"Well, technically, I _did_ get Rouge to kiss you today…"

"That had nothing to do with you!"

"Oh please, you wouldn't have done a damn thing if I wasn't there."

"Shut up, I might have…"

"Yeah, maybe if hell froze over…"

"I said shut up…"

"You wanna prove me wrong?" Sonic asked as the pair headed down the hallway towards the school's main entry/exit doors, "Let's swing by the restaurant on our way home- Rouge should be getting off work in a few minutes. I'd say the goal should be asking her out to dinner, but even asking for a coherent conversation might be pushing it for you…"

Fists clenched angrily, Knuckles shoved the front doors open and stormed down the stairs, swearing under his breath and muttering what Sonic could (to his delight) decipher as "show _you_…" and the hedgehog trotted down the steps after his friend, grinning broadly.

* * *

"Alright, the pictures are downloaded!" 

"How'd they turn out?" Sally said, hurrying over to Silver's computer.

"Well, most of 'em are pretty blurry, naturally" he sighed, scrolling rapidly through the clip-show of pictures he'd managed to take of the fight (instead doing something useful like, say, helping to stop the fight), "Man, this Shadow guy is pretty good- I've never seen anyone keep up that well with Sonic…"

"Yeah really…" she said, eyes trained on the screen, "Well, the blur effect would be alright for a collage of some sort, but we really need one good solid pose for the front page – something eye-catching."

"How about this one?" Silver inquired, stopping on a .jpg of Knuckles, his heels dug firmly into the ground, caught in-between the two raging hedgehogs, both of whom were in mid-air, fists raised.

"Damn…" Sally let out a low whistle, "I think that's our winner."

"Cool," he smiled, "I'll get to work fitting it onto the front page- you gonna get started on the article, or leave that for tomorrow?"

"I'll do a draft right now," she nodded, "While it's still fresh in my mind."

"Okay, sounds good- I'm gonna have to head out in about a half-hour so I can make it home in time for dinner, just fyi…"

"That's fine," she said, "I'll lock up once I'm done – it probably won't take too long, not with me this excited," she added with a guilty smile, "I mean, I'm not the only one right? The whole thing was…exhilarating, wasn't it?"

"I think we caught a little of the high Sonic must've been on," Silver chuckled, nodding in agreement, "He lives for that adrenaline rush…"

"I can see the appeal…" she sighed.

"I'm surprised you haven't met him, seeing how he and Knuckles are best friends and all."

"I dunno, Knuckles never brings him around," she shrugged, "I don't really know why…"

"Guess I'll have to ask him sometime," Silver stated, turning back to his computer.

* * *

"Night girls! Don't work too hard!" Rouge called over her shoulder as she stepped out the staff exit of the restaurant, a dark denim jacket now over her uniform (which really wasn't fitting for the cool autumn weather) and her handbag over her shoulder. 

"Night Rouge!"

"We won't!"

"Catch ya later, hun!"

"Always the popular one, aren't ya?" Sonic inquired cheekily, leaning up against the wall next to the door leading away from Hooters.

She took a step back, then regained her composure, hands on her hips. "It's a gift," she answered, "Two visits in a day, huh? What's a girl to think with this kind of attention?"

"That's she well worth more time than two measly visits," the blue hedgehog replied smoothly, straightening up, "How was work?"

"Just fine," she replied, "Made a killing in tips today. I was thinking of rewarding myself with a trip to the liquor store. A glass of wine and a bath are about all that could make this day any better."

"Oh, I could think of a thing or two," he said, smiling devilishly, "A little pleasurable company, perhaps, right, Knu-" he cut off suddenly, surprised that the echidna was no longer standing next to him, but rather lurking several feet away, nearly obscured by the early evening shadows. Frustrated, Sonic silently gestured with fervor for the red-furred humanoid to come closer, "Right, Knux?"

Rouge had to bite back a laugh as Knuckles shuffled forward shyly. "Didn't even see you there, Red," she told him, "You weren't hiding from me, were you?"

"N-no, 'course not…" he mumbled, even more mortified than he'd been just a few seconds prior during Sonic's far from subtle actions.

Getting a good look at the pair for the first time under the street light, she raised an eyebrow, "So what happened to you two at school today anyway? I don't remember you workin' the grunge look when you came for lunch."

"Got into a fight at school, no big deal," Sonic explained casually, jerking a thumb at his friend, "He tried to stop it and kinda got caught in the middle."

"Why does that not surprise me?" she said with a smile, "Nobody really hurt, I hope."

"Not really," Knuckles responded, his hands clasped together nervously behind his back, the anger that had fueled him to come here in the first place long since evaporated, leaving a gaping hole of uncomfortable anxiety.

"Good to hear," she said, "But it sure looks like you two could use a bath more than I do," she added with a giggle.

"Well if you're offering…" Sonic paused, briefly considering looking out for number one rather than Knuckles, then dismissed the thought just as quickly, "I've gotta get going, but I'm sure Knux would love to take ya up on that," he patted his friend on the shoulder, winking at him, then turned about-face and trotted back towards the sidewalk, "See ya later, guys!"

"W-what? Wait!" Knuckles cried, watching in dismay as he watched the hedgehog disappear, and along with him the last remain specks of confidence he had left. _'Son of a _bitch…_' _Slowly he turned to glance back at the bat, who was eyeing him curiously.

"Looks like it's just you and me, huh Red?"

"Heh, um, yeah, looks that way…" he agreed lamely, his mind straining for a better topic of conversation, "Sorry if I hurt your feelings earlier today- didn't mean to..."

"Hmm?" she cocked her head to one side, thinking back, "What do you mean?" She'd wondered what had spurred the rare compliment that afternoon – but she'd never imagined he'd felt guilty about being oblivious to her advances.

"Just, well…I know I tend to be a little cold around you, that's all," he shrugged, staring down at an ant that was scurrying by his foot, "I don't mean to be."

"You know, I _had_ wondered about that," she said, hands moving from her hips to the strap of her purse, "Bunnie says I'm intimidating…am I?"

"Maybe a little…" he mumbled embarrassedly.

"I'll work on that," she told him gently, taking a step closer, "I never realized my flirting made you uncomfortable."

"I'm just not used to women taking an, erm, romantic interest in me, that's all," he stated evasively, "Especially beautiful ones…"

Her face flushed, "Beautiful…? Really?"

He nodded once shortly, his knuckles rubbing together anxiously behind his back.

"You know, I've gotten just about every synonym for 'hot' there is, but never 'beautiful' before…" she mused, brushing her bangs out of her face.

"Probably too many syllables…"

She burst out laughing, and started her way across the parking lot. "Touché – you've certainly got eloquence points over all the others, among other things."

_'Other things…?'_ He stared after her for just a second, unable to help but admire the view, then hurried to catch up with her, "I actually have a pretty decent vocabulary, but stringing more than three words together around you…well, you've seen how it is."

"So I've noticed," she said, "Why is that anyway?"

"Number of reasons, I guess," he started, placing his hands in the pockets of his jeans, glancing off towards the horizon, where the sun was just entering the beginning stages of setting (the daylight seemed to be growing shorter by the day now), "Your demeanor, your allure, your…accentuating attire…"

"Well this right here's mandatory," she said, sliding a hand over the thin bit of orange fabric covering her waist, "But I suppose my usual wardrobe isn't much better."

"Can't say I don't like what you usually wear," he admitted quietly, his eyes tracking her hand's movements.

"I kinda hoped you did," she told him, "Cuz I don't wear it just to get honked at going down Main Street."

"Though I'd imagine it happens anyway, heh."

"Inevitable, I've realized," she shrugged, "But if it catches your eye, then I'd say it all evens out."

Knuckles blushed slightly, "Glad I could help…"

As they turned a corner into their neighborhood, she gave him a look, "So are you really gonna walk me all the way home?"

"Oh! Um, n-not if you don't want me to…" he stuttered, stopping short at the street corner. Knuckles had always assumed it was, well, polite (if nothing else) to see a lady back to her dwelling, particularly as the darkness approached, but if she didn't want him to…

"No, no, it's not that!" she said quickly, pausing as well, "I was just… remembering my _initial_ invitation and while _I_ might be up for it, I just didn't think you'd be comfortable with the idea, I mean…"

_'Initial invi- oh! Oh…'_ "Uh, er, well…" he began hesitantly, trying to stall for time, _'And I thought I was doing good just _talking_…'_ "I d-dunno if that'd be such a good idea, a-at least right now anyways- but I could certainly walk you the rest of the way home."

Her smile returned, and she let out a tiny sigh of relief. "I'd like that," she nodded, "And maybe…if you have time…I could offer you a cup of coffee?"

He blinked, taken aback by such a tame offer (considering the previous one made), then grinned as well, "Sure, that sounds good." _'Dad won't be home for a while anyway.'_

"Wonderful," she said, a bit of the usual spark back in her eyes, "Off we go then." She reached out, took one of his hands in hers and headed off again, her pace quickened just slightly.

Eyes widened in surprise, Knuckles allowed himself to be pulled along, "Ah- okay…"

From his perch atop a lamppost across the street, Sonic grinned. _'Perfect! Even better than I'd hoped for.'_ Satisfied with a job well done, he leapt off onto the nearest rooftop and continued on his way home.

* * *

Shadow set his backpack down in the front hall next to the door, his ears listening intently for the familiar, weekday evening sounds: the doctor ("That's 'dad' to you!") should be in his study, tinkering away at something, while Maria would be busying herself in the kitchen, the faint clanking of pans or a beeping timer giving her away before some new aroma could reach his nose. Unfortunately, he could detect neither at the moment, _'Must be having dinner late. Damn…'_

"There you are!" His sister had appeared at the top of the stairs, dressed nicer than he remembered her being that morning. "We were expecting you ba…" she trailed off as she hurried to meet him, "What happened to you??"

"Nothing," he replied curtly, "What's up?"

"Oh," she said, "We thought your detention ended earlier, that's all. So now you'll just have to hurry. We've got company coming for dinner – you've gotta get cleaned up!"

"Company?" he repeated, eyes narrowing, "Who? And why the hell do I have to get dressed up?"

"Relatives," she said, moving behind him so as to usher him up the stairs, "My brother Julian and his nephew Snively – they live in this city and Papa invited them over tonight. And you have to get dressed up nice because he said so."

"Ya know, that reason's gettin' pretty damn old…" Shadow frowned, slowly taking the stairs one at a time. He paused about halfway up, pondering, "Are they the ones we always had to wear those stupid costumes for every Christmas when we were little?"

"I think so yeah," she answered.

"I didn't know that was your brother- hell, I didn't know you _had_ a brother!"

"I didn't either," she shook her head, giving him another nudge as she spoke, "Always figured he was an uncle or something, he's so old – but that's what Papa said this afternoon, so I'm just going with it. Please Shadow, you know _you're_ the only real brother I'll ever have."

"Never said I was jealous or anything," the hedgehog huffed indignantly (and not entirely convincingly), taking another step, "Just confused, that's all."

"You and me both," she assured him, "Let's just get through dinner, then we'll try to get some answers out of the old man, okay?"

"Fine," he relented, walking up the remainder of the flight of stairs, pulling his torn and tattered shirt off as he did reached the second-floor hallway.

"Jeez…" she said as he handed it to her, "Did you have a bad run in with a weed whacker or something?"

Shadow snorted, ignoring the sarcastic quip, "Do we still have bactine?" he asked, walking into the open bathroom.

"Top shelf of the medicine cabinet," she answered automatically, still examining the shredded, stained cotton in her hands, "You know Papa's not gonna be happy about you getting into another fight."

"Then let's not tell him," the humanoid replied dryly. His hand was nearly wrapped around the bottle when he froze, closing his eyes and scowling,_'Dammit!'_

"I knew it," she said, tossing the shirt in the waste basket roughly, "Darn it, Shadow, you _promised_."

"Look, he threw the first punch!" he explained defensively, setting the bottle down on the sink counter behind him as he turned to face his adoptive sibling.

"And you just couldn't walk away, could you?" she said, crouching down to pull a wash cloth out from under the sink.

"No," he answered flatly as he leaned back against the counter, "We can't all be as perfect as you, Maria…"

She froze, still on her knees. Her outstretched hand was shaking and in a panic, she clenched it into a fist to make it stop. With a deep breath, she straightened up, her expression stony but her wet eyes betraying her. "I'm not perfect, Shadow," she said quietly, "But at least I try…" Then she turned on her heel and stormed from the room.

_'Ah, fuck!'_ "Damn it all- Maria!" he called after her. He ran out into the hall, instantly regretting his hurtful words, "Come back, I didn't mean it!"

"Get dressed," she told him, not looking at him as she hurried down the stairs, "I'll be in the kitchen."

Shadow sighed dejectedly, rubbing his face with both hands. He turned and headed back into the bathroom, slamming his fist violently against the doorframe with enough force to cause a discernable dent in the wood.

* * *

"How do you take your coffee?" 

"With cream if you have any, but if not that's fine."

"Cream I've got," Rouge said, ducking to peek into her refrigerator, leaning over a bit more than necessary with her back to the echidna for a moment before rising again. "And sugar for me," she added, plucking the dish from the counter and setting both on the wooden table in the center of the room.

"Should've guessed," he smiled, sitting with his hands curled around his plain white, slightly-chipped mug, steam rising off the surface of the dark liquid. He glanced about the room curiously, "You've got a nice place here."

"Thanks," she said, seating herself beside him, "After my parents moved to the south coast I couldn't believe they let me keep it. Have to admit, it does feel a bit empty sometimes…"

"I know the feeling- my dad works almost 24/7, so I have the house to myself most of the time…"

"I remember," she said, stirring her drink, "I spent quite a few afternoons with you in that house when you were younger."

"Heh, yeah, that was a couple'a years ago…" Knuckles laughed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.

"You've sure grown up, haven't you?" she mused, chin resting in one hand as she watched him.

"Uh, er, well, I g-guess so…" he stammered, tugging at his shirt collar instinctively, "A little bit, anyway."

"You have, trust me," she said, pausing to take a small sip from her mug, "Still a little naïve, maybe – but it's nothing a little worldly experience won't cure."

"Worldly experience?" he repeated, wishing he sounded less troubled by that statement, picking up the creamer and adding a bit of the white liquid to his coffee.

"Sure," she nodded, setting her mug down, and leaning towards him slightly, "With someone to show you the ropes, I bet you'd be a natural."

_'At…? Wait, does she really mean what I think she means?'_ He lifted his cup to his lips (careful to avoid having to move his injured lower lip too much) and took a small sip of his drink, trying not to stare down her rather loose shirt, "Heh heh, well, in order to get to that point, there'd probably be, er, some bumps in the road…"

She shrugged, "Makes the destination all the more worthwhile…" At such close range, she noticed the cut for the first time. Reaching up, she brushed a finger over it airily. "I'll be gentle, I promise…and we'll take baby steps. That is…if you want to take them at all…"

He shivered instinctively at her touch, "I…" he paused, then smiled slightly, "I think I'd like that…"

Her eyes lit up and she shifted forward in her chair. "We'll start with the basics then," she said, "I don't think I need to tell you what this is called…" With that, her voice trailed off and she let her lips come down lightly over his.

_'Nope, I happen to know that one…'_

* * *

The kitchen was usually a room Maria Kintobor enjoyed. Each one she'd worked in through the years of moving had been different, yet she could always find her way around as if she'd designed it herself. It was a room she could always call her own, and in the homes where they'd had to share bedrooms, having a place to herself had become more important than she cared to admit. But the peace she usually got from the solitude wasn't within her grasp as she worked in silence, preparing a meal that she didn't even feel like partaking in. 

Shadow, now freshened up and considerably better-dressed, poked his head in the doorway cautiously, _'Wonder if it's safe to come in…?'_ Judging by the ferocity with which she was slicing the cucumber on her cutting board (for salads, no doubt), the safest route would probably be to just avoid her for a bit until she cooled down, but then there was always the off-chance that she might talk to the doctor before she did, and that wouldn't end well for him. Best to try to make amends now… He tiptoed anxiously into the kitchen, stopping several feet away from his sibling, "Whatcha makin'?"

"What's it look like?" she answered flatly, "Dinner."

"Well I kinda figured that…" he trailed off, coughing into one hand as he stalled for time, "Anything I can do to help?" he rallied again.

She paused, shutting her eyes briefly before answering, "Think you can handle setting the table?"

"Table! Yes, yes, I can do that," he nodded enthusiastically, speaking a bit too quickly. He walked up behind his adoptive sister, hugging her lightly, "Because I'm your brother…and I wuv you…"

She bit her bottom lip, trying not to smile. "And you can't control your temper and you say things you shouldn't and you don't mean to hurt my feelings and so on and so forth, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," he agreed quickly, nuzzling his muzzle up against her cheek (playing the 'fuzzy' card usually worked).

With a roll of her eyes, she let herself smile. He certainly knew exactly how and when to turn on the charm. "_Fine_…you're forgiven…"' she sighed in defeat.

"Thank you!" he grinned widely, pecking her on the cheek before he released the young woman, heading off into the living room to start setting the table.

She shook her head as she watched him go, then returned to her work, her appetite rapidly returning along with the upturn of her mood.

_'Now…the fork goes on which side? Aw fuck it…'_

* * *

"Hiya Mr. Sonic!" From her spot in the driveway, where she was surrounded by worn pieces of colored chalk and more doodles than the blacktop could handle, Cream Rabbit waved enthusiastically as the hedgehog passed. 

Sonic slowed to a stop, smiling cheerfully up at the little girl, "Hey, Cream, how's it hangin'?" he asked, waving back (which caused his torn sleeve to slide down his arm). He glanced over at the driveway, where a total of zero cars were parked, "You here by yourself?"

"Nuh-uh," she shook her said, floppy ears waving from side to side, "Miss Amy just went inside cuz the phone was ringing."

"Oh, okay, good," he nodded in relief, "So how's school goin'? Still getting there alright?"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded brightly, "I even found some other girls that live on the next street to walk with."

"Awesome!" he grinned, offering her a 'thumbs-up', _'Good to know, considering last month…'_

* * *

_'C'mon Sonic, yer gonna be late!' Uncle Chuck called up the stairs exasperatedly, tapping his foot impatiently._

_"Relax Unc, they're not gonna bust me on the first day!" the hedgehog said, trotting down the stairs, backpack slung over one shoulder._

_ "That's what ya said last year," the elder replied skeptically, folding his arms across his chest._

_"Well I'm a senior this year!" the teen explained, "It'll be different, I promise."_

_"If you say so, sonny boy," Charles smiled, shaking his head, "Have a good day, Sonic…"_

_"You betcha! See ya tonight!" Sonic said with a grin before dashing out the door._

'That kid'll be the death of me one'a these days…'_ the light-blue hedgehog sighed, turning about-face and heading towards his workshop (aka the basement)._

_Sonic hopped down the front steps, looking down at his watch, _'7:17…Man, Uncle Chuck doesn't have enough faith in me,'_ he snorted, adjusting his backpack strap absentmindedly as he walked past Knuckles' house,_ 'Knux probably left already, the worrywart…'

_He was barely at the end of his driveway, when his extra-sensitive picked up something not usual to a September morning – not birds or commuter traffic, but a stifled whimpering – and he glanced around for the source. "What the…?" Across the street, six year old Cream was sitting on the curb outside her house, face buried in her knees, her whole body shaking._

_ Sonic didn't know any of the neighborhood tikes very well, but it certainly wasn't within him to witness such a scene and just walk away (besides, anything to put off school just a bit longer was fine with him). In an instant, he was standing beside the little humanoid, "Hey there, what's the matter?"_

_The little rabbit looked up, startled, "Uh, um, well, I…I'm supposed to be starting school today…" she told him, hiccoughing as she wiped at her eyes, "But my Momma left for work already and forgot she was supposed to take me…"_

_Sonic blinked in disbelief, _'She forgot her own kid? Damn, what a flake…'_"Tough break- first days are usually hard enough without setbacks," he smiled sympathetically, sitting down on the curb next to the younger humanoid, "I'm Sonic, what's your name?"_

_"C-Cream…" she answered, sniffling._

_"Nice to meet ya, Cream," the hedgehog said cheerily, offering her his hand._

_"You too, Mr. Sonic, sir," she said, taking his hand._

_He checked his watch again quickly, _'Well, I won't make it to school on time- darn, what a shame, heh…'_ "How's about you and me walk to school together?" Sonic offered, helping the child gently to her feet._

_"Really?" she asked, smiling through her tears._

_"Yeah, sure, c'mon," he stood up to his full height, his gloved hand wrapped gently around hers._

_"Kay!"_

* * *

"Hey! Sonic!!"

With an unexpected gasp, Sonic felt the wind being squeezed out of his lungs. He winced, unsurprised to find himself wrapped in an over-enthusiastic hug by Amy, "Ack- hehe, hi Amy…" he managed, rolling his eyes.

"I was wondering when you were gonna get he–" the pink hedgehog paused, pulling away slightly, "Your clothes…what happened to you?"

"Hmm? What, this?" he chuckled, brushing a bit of dust off his shoulder, "Heh, you should see the other guy!"

"You're sure you're alright?" she asked, pulling a tissue from her pocket to wipe at the dirt on his face.

"C'mon Amy, I'm fine!" he replied, scowling good-humoredly as she dabbed at his face.

"Who was on the phone, Miss Amy?" Cream asked, diverting the teen girl's attention.

"Hmm? Oh, that was your mom," Amy answered, turning away from Sonic, "She just wanted to say she was leaving work now and should be home in less than an hour."

"Guess yer paycheck won't be much this time around," the blue-furred hedgehog commented, folding his hands behind his head.

Amy shrugged, "I don't mind so much," she whispered, "Just look at her face. It's not often her mom comes home at a decent time."

Sonic looked up at the porch, where Cream was telling her favorite stuffed animal (a funny looking blue-and-yellow doll with a large head and tiny little limbs) the good news, "Yeah, guess you're right…"

"Besides, that leaves me free for the rest of the evening," she added, shooting him a meaningful look.

Sonic gulped nervously, "Ah, hehe, I-I'd love to stay and chat, but, um, Uncle Chuck is expecting me home so I can help him with his…er, work, a-and I've got a ton'a homework, but I'll talk to ya in school tomorrow, alright?" he stammered, backing up several paces, "See ya later, Cream! Bye Amy!" With that he took off like a shot down the sidewalk, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Ooooh, that…that_boy!_" Amy huffed, stomping her foot as he vanished into his home.

Once inside his dwelling, Sonic slumped against the closed door, exhaling noisily, "Phew…"

* * *

"Kids! Get the door!" 

"Do we have to?" Shadow mumbled, setting glasses down on the table, glancing over at Maria.

"Might as well get it over with," she sighed, checking the egg timer near the oven, "Let's go."

"Ladies first," he smirked, gesturing for her to lead the way down the hall.

"How thoughtful of you," she said, shooting him a half-hearted smile as she hurried out to the foyer. She paused at the door, smoothed her skirt out, then pulled the door open. "Welcome! Thank you for coming!"

"Sister!" Julian spread his arms wide (his body girth and height nearly blocking Snively entirely from view).

Taken slightly aback, but doing her best to disguise it, she allowed herself to be embraced. "It's good to see you, Julian," she managed, her breath short from the strength of his arms.

"We have so much to discuss!" he exclaimed, releasing his sibling from his tight embrace, "How've you been?" Behind him, Snively was trying to finagle a way around his uncle into the house, but the doorway appeared almost completely blocked by the doctor.

"Um, just fine, thank you," she said, inclining her head politely, "Come in, please," she offered, stepping back to allow him passage.

"Why thank you," Robotnik smiled, entering the house. Leaning against the wall a short distance away was a black-furred hedgehog-humanoid, his face set in a stony scowl. The mustachioed doctor raised an eyebrow at the cold reception, but brushed it aside without a second thought, "Ah, you must be Shadow," he said cheerfully, holding out a hand as he approached the considerably-shorter being.

The hedgehog took the outstretched hand in his own and shook once firmly. "Doctor."

"Now, really, there's no need for such formal titles!" Eggman boomed, pulling his step-sibling into a one-armed hug, "We're brothers, technically, call me Julian!"

Eyes wide, Shadow could do nothing but watch in mortification as Maria hid a smile with one hand at the scene. "Er…right, Julian…"

Snively, who had finally managed to get into the house, offered his hand politely to Maria, "Snively- we're distantly related," he introduced himself bluntly in his oily voice.

"Oh, yes of course," she nodded, smiling kindly as she took hold of his hand, "Nice to meet you."

"So, where's old Gramps?" Robotnik asked brightly, his head swiveling around the room quickly, his right arm now wrapped around Shadow's shoulders whilst his left hand thumbed one of his suspenders.

"He's always_somewhere_," Shadow muttered, trying to ignore the overwhelming _presence_ of the stranger who seemed in no hurry to release him.

"We were quite surprised by his visit this morning," Snively explained, closing the door behind him, "You two enjoying city life?" he inquired blandly, doing his best to add to the conversation (not something he was used to, as he usually interacted with robots more than humans).

"So far, yes," Maria nodded, as a whole not sure what to make of the small man, "We've lived in others before, but never one as big as this. It's a little overwhelming, but I'm sure that wears off with time, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but distain for the general populace quickly fills the void."

"Oh…" she said quietly, hand folded in front of her, "Well that's…um…nice…"

"Heh heh heh…" Eggman chuckled, a bit too loudly, releasing Shadow to go stand next to Snively, "This nephew of mine, always such a kidder!" he explained jovially, thumping the shorter man forcefully on the back, glaring down at him as if to say, _'Be cheerful, dammit!'_ "Now, really, where is the old geezer? He's the one who invited us over to dinner, after all…"

"Dinner! Oh, shoot!!" Maria cried, one hand over her mouth, "Excuse me, please." And she dashed off to the kitchen.

"So that's what that beeping was…" Shadow mused aloud, following after his sister, his hands resting in his pants pockets.

"Well, this is going swimmingly…" Snively muttered, rubbing his sore shoulder with one hand.

"It's only one evening- be civil!"

"I'm trying, sir…"

"Ahhh! You made it! And look at the abysmal manners of my children, leaving you here in the hall…"

Julian smiled politely, turning to face his grandfather, "I think they went to keep our supper from burning, that's all. Nice to see you again, sir."

"Of course it is," Gerald said, "Come into the sitting room; we'll leave them to their preparations."

Robotnik nodded, steering Snively forcibly with one arm towards the living room, determined not to have to make conversation with the critical, condescending old coot alone.

* * *

"Momma!!" 

Once the car had come to a full stop in the driveway, Amy released her hold on the straps of Cream's jumper and the little rabbit sprinted off, bouncing outside the driver's side door excitedly as her mother exited the car.

"Hey baby!" Vanilla cooed, scooping the girl up with one arm, while shutting the car door with the other.

"I missed you, Momma!" Cream sighed, curling into her mother's considerable chest comfortably.

"I missed you too, sweetie," the elder humanoid smiled, nuzzling her nose against the top of her offspring's head for a second as she approached the house, then looked up again towards her ever-dependable baby-sitter, "Thanks for watching her, Amy. Come on in- your money's in my purse," she explained, gesturing towards the little bag dangling off her shoulder (which she couldn't quite open whilst holding Cream).

"No problem," the hedgehog nodded, following after the pair into the front hall, "She was perfect, as always."

"Good, good…" Vanilla commented happily, gently setting her daughter down on the couch in the living room, "Mommy'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay!" the child chirped, not a care in the world.

"Let's see here…" the elder rabbit-humanoid unzipped her purse and started digging through it, "$25 should about cover it, right?"

"Yep," Amy nodded, hands clasped behind her back so as to not seem too eager.

"Here you are then," Vanilla smiled, offering the young woman several crisp, green bills, "Thanks again, you're always such a big help."

"My pleasure," the hedgehog replied brightly, sliding the money into her own handbag (which she had set conveniently by the front door), "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Wonderful," Vanilla nodded, "Have a good night, Amy."

"You too, Ms. Rabbit," she said, leaning past her to call out, "Bye Cream!"

"Bye Ms. Amy!" Cream called back, waving happily.

Amy waved back, then grabbed her coat and exited the house, slipping it on as she jogged down the front walk. Spotting the lights coming on in the house across the street, she paused at the edge of the driveway. With a sigh, she shook her head. _'No, don't…he said he had homework, don't go bugging him…'_ She let her gaze linger for a moment, before shouldering her bag and turning away.

How many nights had she walked home along this route hoping against hope that he would be on that porch, offering to keep her company? He certainly had made the time for nearly every _other_ girl in school over the years – was she really asking too much? Would giving her a second look really be too big of an effort? It wasn't like she was being _subtle_ in displaying her interest. And it wasn't like he was all that picky with the girls he _did_ choose to notice. Bunch of over-make-upped airheads, the lot of them…

Fiona Fox, Mina Mongoose, half the cheerleading squad- it wasn't like any of them ever lasted very long. Despite keeping a close eye on the hedgehog for some time, she had never quite been able to nail down the exact reason for this: whether it was through a fear of commitment (which she'd witnessed on numerous occasions), an affinity for change, or simply a lack of willingness to emotionally connect with others, Sonic just never seemed to be able to put in the effort needed to hold down a relationship. Unfortunately, even with this being the case, no matter how hard she tried, she could never seem to get her foot in the revolving door of girls that surrounded the blue hedgehog. She was just a number in the little group that he hung out with…

Amy sighed miserably, the setting, orange-red sun behind her stretching her shadow, obscuring her frontal features. From this angle, the sun couldn't be blamed for the slivers of wetness that stung her eyes…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

For the life of her, Rouge could not determine just what it was Knuckles tasted like. Logically, based on where he had been that afternoon, it should have been blood and dirt, but as he had excused himself to clean himself up the instant they'd arrived at her home, that wasn't it. And it wasn't the lavender soap from the downstairs washroom either. There was a hint of that, but only a faint one. There was something much stronger, but for the moment it remained, literally, just on the tip of her tongue.

Knuckles, were he not in such a compromising position, felt something akin to an ancestral desire to purr in contentment. Her lipstick was positively delicious too, _'Mmm… strawberries…'_

Resigned to the fact that his natural flavor was one she wouldn't be able to name without further samples, she let her lips travel away from his, working their way down his neck, tracing around the collar of his shirt.

He shuddered, both surprised and pleased, but equally unsure of how to react. The echidna swallowed nervously, his hands dropping uselessly to his sides.

Encouraged by the reaction, she continued, sliding her hands up under his shirt as she nipped at his collar bone. "Like that, do ya?" she murmured against his fur.

He nodded timidly, trying to control his shallow breathing through force of will alone.

She grinned. "There're all _sorts_ of things I can do that you'll like…" she told him, as her hands slid down his back, fingers slipping beneath the waistband of his pants.

Knuckles slid backwards a tad on his seat uncomfortably, "Er, ya don't say…?"

"Mm-hmm…" she nodded, her hands working their way down to the base of his tail, tugging lightly at it as she undid the snap just above it.

He blushed furiously, attempting to squirm backwards further. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough seat left to allow this action. With a short, startled yelp, Knuckles slid right off his chair, falling unceremoniously to the floor.

Bewildered, Rouge quickly slid off her own chair and crouched down beside him. "Jeez, are you alright?"

"J-Just fine," he replied hastily, rubbing his tender backside with one hand, not meeting her gaze.

She bit her bottom lip, hesitating for a moment as she tried to catch his eye, before asking, "I was going too fast, huh?"

"Maybe just a little…"

"Sorry…" she said, head hung guiltily.

"It's okay," he said quietly, feeling a bit silly himself. Most guys in his position probably would've leapt at the chance to enter the phase she had been trying to steer him towards.

"If it happens again, just tell me, okay?" she said, placing a hand over his, "If you hadn't noticed, I'm sorta crazy about you – I don't wanna go scaring you off."

The question 'Why me?' worked its way to the tip of his tongue, but he managed to quell the urge to ask it aloud, "Right, can do…" he replied, finally looking up again, a shy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright," she said, leaning forward to kiss him quickly, "You wanna stick around for dinner? Not sure what I've got, but if all else fails, we can order Chinese."

"Sure, that sounds good to me," he nodded, leaning back on his hands. He paused momentarily, then spoke again, "I'm not sure what good kissing is like, since this is my first time an' all, but I'm pretty sure you've mastered the art…"

Her cheeks flushed pink and she grinned. "I do my best," she said, getting to her feet and offering him a hand, "C'mon, let's see what there is to eat."

He accepted her hand, standing up gracefully, "Okay."

* * *

"Well, the meat's a little bit darker than I usually like it, but it should be just fine," Maria said, setting a large platter on the center of the dining room table, "Sorry."

"Still smells excellent," Eggman assured her, removing his brown suit jacket and hanging it on the back of his chair, "I haven't had meatloaf in ages."

"Not exactly gourmet," she said, taking her seat across from Shadow and to the left of Gerald (who, as usual, was at the head of the table), "But it's an old favorite of Papa's."

"Well that's just cuz it tastes so damn good when you make it, sweetie," the elder doctor stated, patting his granddaughter gently on the shoulder.

She smiled, then turned to the others, "Um, shall I serve?"

"Here, I'll do it," Shadow sighed, reaching over to take the knife from his sibling.

Maria handed it over as Gerald nodded approvingly, happy to see their manners take a turn for the better.

An awkward silence fell over the table as plates were passed forward one by one. Julian cleared his throat, "So…how's school, kids?"

"Fine," Shadow answered, shooting Maria a glance.

"Yes, just fine," she nodded, "Everyone seems nice enough so far. Though parts of the building seem to in quite a bit of disrepair…something to do with an attack on the city over the summer."

"Mmm…" Robotnik nodded, taking the comment without so much as a hiccup in his demeanor, "Yes, difficult times, that last attack, very difficult…"

"These attacks happen often?" Gerald asked.

"Oh, every few months or so for the last two years now," Snively chimed in dryly, ladling gravy onto his helping of meatloaf.

"And they've never caught the person responsible?" Shadow asked, fork halfway to his mouth.

"Not as of yet," Eggman replied, fighting hard to keep any hint of pride out of his tone.

The hedgehog snorted, then caught his adoptive father's eyes and proceeded to fill his mouth with food rather than 'mouth off' about the ineffectiveness of the country's segregated police force.

"If nothing else, it's a nice break on the news from celebrity gossip and stories about the crime rate…" Snively added, carefully using his fork and knife to cut up his meat.

"True enough," Gerald nodded, "And I suppose in your line of work, it's the most excitement either of you ever see, eh?"

"Well, not all of us can…er, what was it you do again, Grandfather?" Robotnik inquired, matching snipe for snipe.

With an indignant scowl, the elder Kintobor straightened up in his chair. "By the time I was your age I had already won my Nobel Peace Prize in Physiology," he huffed, "If my work's gone unnoticed in recent years it's only because I'm old and have been busy tending to more immediate tasks," he added, gesturing at the teens seated on either side of him.

_'Tasks…?'_ Shadow thought indignantly as he swallowed a mouthful of mashed potatoes, glancing over his sister.

She caught his eye, her expression equally displeased. This competitive attitude was something she'd never seen in her grandfather before, and she didn't like it one bit.

"It could also be you haven't published anything in the last… what, almost twenty years?" Robotnik needled, glancing conspicuously at Shadow for just a second before he gave Gerald his full attention.

"Yes, yes, perhaps I_have_ passed my prime," the old man said, waving his fork about dismissively, "But at least I hit it."

Julian merely took another bite of his meal in order to refrain from saying something he knew would let on too much.

There to pick up the slack in the conversation was, surprisingly, Snively, "So what inspired this latest move, sir? A change of atmosphere to help with your research, perhaps?"

"Oh, I wish it had been inspiration of any sort," Gerald said, glancing glumly at his plate, "I'm afraid there were circumstances that required a transfer of schools just as the semester was starting…"

"Circumstances?" Eggman repeated, dumbfounded, setting his glass (filled with milk, of all things) back down on the table.

Darting a glance at Shadow, Maria spoke up, "We just…weren't fitting in very well there…"

* * *

_"You blew up the shop classroom?! The whole damn thing? How the hell did this happen?!"_

_"I don't know…" Shadow mumbled, sitting on the edge of his bed, shoulders slumped, "I just…lost control…"_

_"Lost control? But you can't-…" Gerald Kintobor took another step closer to his adoptive son, glaring down coldly at the humanoid, his rage nearly beyond words. In a flash of movement he reached down and grabbed his son's right wrist, lifting the appendage up into the light, "Do not tell me…that you were _abysmally_ stupid enough to go to school without your restriction rings…"_

_Humiliation and indignation burning across his cheeks, the hedgehog turned away. "I hate those things…" he said quietly._

_"Do I look like I GIVE A DAMN?" the human doctor shouted lividly, releasing his son's arm in disgust, barely able to restrain himself from hitting the young man. He straightened up and began pacing about the room slowly, "Incidents like this are why I invented the rings in the first place!"_

_"Maybe, if you'd just let me use my gifts like I want to, I could learn to control it and not _need_ them," Shadow said, staring at his hands, which at the moment were bare, his gloves discarded as they'd been ruined in the explosion and the damn rings tucked away in the top draw of his dresser._

_"You really think that _this_ is the appropriate time to be asking me for _more_ freedoms? Really!?" Gerald snarled, his thunderous voice booming dramatically._

_The dark-furred teen cringed. "No sir…"_

_"Maybe if you demonstrated the ability to be responsible for once in your damned life…" the doctor trailed off in revulsion, shaking his head and muttering to himself for a second, "So now I've got to find the money to help pay the school for repairs so they don't press charges, then we've got to call the moving vans again…"_

_"What?" Shadow's head shot up, "They're expelling me?"_

_"I'm transferring you before they get the chance," Gerald spat, ceasing his pacing, "Now, where are they?" he demanded._

_Shadow pointed to his dresser listlessly._

_In two long strides the professor was at the dresser. He yanked the top drawer open and pulled out the two identical golden rings, "Put them on- NOW!" he ordered furiously, tossing the objects onto the bed next to Shadow._

_Scowling, the hedgehog picked them up, snapping them on to his wrists begrudgingly. Instantly he could feel his muscles tighten, and the weight that had been lifted from his chest all day settled back into place. Gaze trained on his adoptive father, he waited, biting his tongue less he provoke the invention of something even _more_ powerful to tie him down._

_Breathing heavily, his chest heaving, Dr. Kintobor opened his mouth as if to go on, then shut it just as quickly. If he said anything more at the moment he was liable to let slip something he'd surely regret later. He merely shook his head in disappointment, unable to even look at the humanoid, then walked out of the room._

_ The instant the door shut behind him, Shadow was on his feet, eyes roving the room frantically. His hands found his desk chair first and with a forceful shove it was flipped on its back._

_In the hall outside, the clattering echoed, followed by others like it and Maria poked her head out of her own doorway worriedly. Passing by her on his way towards the stairs, Gerald grumbled, "Do something about him, won't you?"_

_Fretfully, she nodded and hurried down the hall, knocking on the door with one hand as the other twisted the knob. "Shadow?" she called, peeking around the door as she opened it and ducking back a second later as an alarm clock collided with the wood. "Shadow! Honestly!"_

_The noises came to a stop briefly, "…What?"_

_"It takes us long enough to save up to buy things," she said, slipping into the room and shutting the door again, "Is it really necessary to break them?"_

_"Sure as hell makes me feel better…" he growled, his hands clenched into fists at his sides._

_She let out a sigh, then took a few more steps into the room, watching him intently as she walked past him, over to the head of his bed. Picking up his pillow, she tossed it at him, which he caught deftly, albeit confusedly._

_"What do you–"_

_"Go on, scream," she told him, "Get it all out, then talk to me."_

_"Maria, this is silly, I'm not going to-"_

_"Do it," she said firmly._

_Shadow glowered at her for a moment, locked in a staring-contest battle of wills, then abruptly buried his face in the fluffy head-cushion and screamed in muffled, guttural rage._

_"There," she said calmly, once he had finished, "Feel better?"_

_"…Kinda."_

_"Told you."_

* * *

"Terribly sorry to hear that," Robotnik said, the sympathy in his voice rather convincing if he did say so himself, "But things are faring better here, yes?"

The two exchanged another brief glance, "As well as can be expected, for a new school…" Shadow shrugged nonchalantly.

"Time will tell, I suppose," Maria added.

Eggman nodded, the conversation topic seeming to have run its course, "Of course, of course…"

The awkward silence settled down over the table once again, and with nothing to do but eat, all five plates were quickly empty. Glancing around at the men, Maria cleared her throat, "Would anyone like coffee?" she asked.

"Certainly," Gerald spoke up, placing his fork and knife on top of his sullied plate, "Boys?"

"Sounds excellent," Julian agreed, slouching a bit in his seat as his meal began to settle in his paunch.

Snively merely nodded politely.

"Okay, I'll be right back then," she said, rising from her chair, "Shadow, do you mind helping me with the dishes?"

The hedgehog's ears perked up at the suggestion, "Dishes? Dishes! Yes, yes, I can do dishes," he said enthusiastically, nearly knocking over his chair in his haste to stand up.

"Now _that's_ the sort of courtesy I like to see," Gerald said emphatically as the pair stacked the good china up in record time.

"An example to us all, sir…" Snively sighed, rolling his eyes (frankly, he would've offered to do _yard work_ if it would get him out of this nightmarish visit…).

"Too true, too true," Robotnik nodded, "Hard to think they'd have trouble fitting in anywhere," he added pointedly, hands folded over his stomach.

"Maria certainly has no such problems," Gerald explained, "Shadow on the other hand…"

"What exactly _did_ happen to prompt this school transfer?" he asked, curiosity glinting behind his glasses.

"Oh, his damned temper got the better of him, as usual," the old man sighed, reaching into his pocket for his trusty pack of cigarettes and lighter, _'Missing again…oh that girl…'_ He didn't smoke often, just socially (an aspect all but eliminated from his life twenty years ago) or when feeling stressed. However, even occasionally was too much for Maria, who had taken up the nastily irritating habit of hiding his cigarettes from him, "Didn't wear his restriction rings for God-knows what reason, ended up angry at some other young fellow and (of course) couldn't control himself. Blew up the whole confounded shop classroom, landed a few people in the hospital too…"

"You don't say?" Julian asked, forcing himself to look concerned.

"That certainly would do it," Snively commented, casting a glance towards the kitchen, where the sound of clinking dinnerware and running water emanated.

"Who knows, maybe the dozenth change of scenery will do him some good…" the elder man snorted, his faith in his own words obviously minute, if that.

"Perhaps he's just been programmed too well…" the younger one said offhandedly, stroking his mustache, "Aggression is in his make-up, after all."

Gerald's eyes widened in shock, darting to the kitchen area then back to his grandson, "Keep your voice down!" he hissed, "How the hell do you know?" he inquired sharply, glaring daggers at the pair.

"I know all _sorts_ of things, Grandfather," Robotnik said, leaning forward against the table, his voice low (but more for effect than for obeying the command), "You'd be amazed at how easy it is to break into government archives."

"I've never tried- find it's best not to go poking your nose where it doesn't belong, especially when you're trying to stay dead to the world," the older man countered, sitting up straighter in his seat.

"True, but I suppose not being able to keep tabs on your pursuers does leave you at a bit of a disadvantage, doesn't it?" he asked, chin in one hand.

"Their intelligence networks are severely lacking in anything resembling brainpower," Gerald retorted, "As long as I keep Shadow under control, we can keep the moves to once every two years or so…Besides, I have my own ways of knowing when they've picked up the scent- a rare occurrence, let me assure you."

"We can only hope it_stays_ that way," Julian grinned, "After all, who knows what they'd do to him – or _you_ if they ever caught up with you?"

"What're you implying, Julian?" Gerald asked harshly.

"Nothing, nothing at all," the younger man said, hands up in defense, "I just felt I needed to be open with you about what I know. It's no good for family to be keeping secrets."

"Some secrets are best kept buried, son. Shadow doesn't know; I expect that status quo to remain unchanged. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Julian bared his teeth in a wide, toothy smile.

* * *

"Sonic, did you have that black-eye when you left for school today?" Uncle Chuck inquired, scratching his head in puzzlement as he used his fork to dig the last bits of brownie out of its compartment in his TV dinner.

"Huh?" the blue hedgehog glanced up from the remnants of his own meal. Apparently the fresh shiner he'd received during detention didn't blend with blue fur as well as he'd hoped. "What this? Aww, it's nothin'. Was roughhousing with Knuckles after school, that's all."

"Oh, I see- well, you two should be more careful. He _is_ on the wrestling team, after all…" the elder hedgehog reprimanded lightly, attempting to do the necessary bit of parenting on 'safety'.

"I know, I know," Sonic said, grinning sheepishly, "Sometimes I forget how strong he is, but trust me, it won't happen again."

"Alright, good," Charles smiled, taking one final bite of the dessert portion of his 'meal-in-a-minute', "Few more letters came in the mail for ya today- colleges, still lookin' for you…"

"Oh…cool…" the teen said half-heartedly, turning his attention to his drink, "I'll take 'em upstairs when I go."

Uncle Chuck sighed silently in resignation, "Left 'em on the stairs for ya."

"Thanks." He rose from his seat, carrying his tray off to the trashcan in the kitchen. "I'm gonna head out for a run, okay?"

"Okey-doke," the other responded, "Just don't get lost now- it's pretty dark out there…"

"I won't," Sonic responded, grinning assuredly, "And even if I do, I just hafta run until I find something familiar."

"Just sayin' to remember it's a school night, that's all. Stay in the country, alright?"

The teen laughed, giving his uncle a one-armed hug on his way out the door, "I will. And I'll be back in a flash, don't you worry!"

_'Sometimes I just can't help it…'_ "See ya soon, son."

"Yep! Later!" And with that, he was out the door and into the night.

* * *

"You know," Rouge said thoughtfully, gesturing with her chopsticks, "Usually dates work in the opposite direction …"

"So I've heard," Knuckles agreed, "Still, this is nice too…"

"I have to agree with you there," she nodded, "Can't say I'd turn down an encore of earlier, though. I promise I'll keep my hands to myself," she added, giving him a playful wink.

The echidna blushed, taking a bite of his meal that was a bit larger than he intended. He swallowed with some difficulty, "Er, o-okay…" _'She still wants to after I chickened out like that…?'_

"As long as you want to, I mean," she said, bringing her wine glass to her lips.

"No, no, I do, honest!" Knuckles stammered earnestly, tapping his chopsticks together nervously for lack of anything better to do with his hand.

"Good to know," she smiled, rising from her seat to refill her glass, "How long do you think you'll be able to hang out tonight, anyway?"

"Probably 'til 10:30 or so," he replied, "I'll understand if you don't want me hanging around all night though…"

"Now why on earth would I want you to leave any earlier than absolutely necessary?" she asked, running a hand teasingly under his chin as she returned to the table, "I really can't think of a better way to spend my time."

He shivered slightly, mesmerized by her touch (much in the way his ancestors would've enjoyed having their chins scratched), "N-no…?"

"Nope," she assured him, "So whenever you're ready, I'll be on the couch, finishing this and just…getting comfortable," she told him, raising her glass and sashaying off towards the living room.

_'Goddamn I'm a lucky bastard…'_ Knuckles took a deep breath to calm his nerves, then stood and followed the bat-humanoid into the living room.

* * *

If there was one thing Sonic Hedgehog shared a love-hate relationship with, it was water. Standing on the highest point of the west coast, hundreds of thousands of miles from his bay-city home, the teen hedgehog inhaled the sea air deeply. Bring him to a pool or put him on boat and he'd fight it with all his might in the most childlike manner, but there was nothing that could calm his spirit faster than watching the waves roll in along the shore like this.

He sat down gently onto the cool sand, leaning back on his gloved hands. This place was great for a short breather, a pause after the incredible high he got from running. There was nothing better in this life than being able to simply let loose and run, free of the trivial worries and mindless restrictions always being pressed upon him by outside forces. Who gave two shits about school or money or anything else, really, when one could experience the thrill of racing over mountain railings at speeds surpassing Mach One, or watch the moonlight shimmer on the ocean water during a chilly October night at the beach?

Could life really get much better? He couldn't help but think that if more people could experience this feeling, there'd be a lot less trouble in the world. _'Then again,'_ he thought with a grin, _'with no bad guys to fight, I'd probably get really bored really _fast_.'_ He let himself fall back against the sand, gazing up at the stars, which were a rare sight in the smog-filled sky of Mobotropolis. A pair of lightning bugs (their lives not yet claimed by the changing seasons) floated past his nose, and he let out a sigh. As peaceful and content as he felt at this moment, he knew it was only a matter of time before the urge to keep moving would seize him and he'd be off again.

The doctors could call it whatever they wanted to, but in the end it was Uncle Chuck who best described his symptoms: he had a "restless spirit" and the means to act upon such compulsions. But honestly, anything was better than the doldrums of constant repetition offered by everyday life. Life was just too damn boring compared to his brief bouts of running or the few battles he'd had with the terrorist Dr. Robotnik (incognito, of course, as it wouldn't do to have the government take too close a look at the savior of Mobotropolis- that was never a good thing…).

A gentle gust of wind blew up from the sea, rustling his thin, blue fur. He allowed his eyes to flutter closed for a moment. Without a second thought he could simply fall asleep here, but Uncle Chuck would worry. With a slight frown, Sonic sat up again, brushing the bits of sand and dust off of his natty, gray T-shirt.

Begrudgingly he stood, stretched his arms over his head and then dropped them to his sides. Body turned, he lingered for one last look at the water before vanishing from the beach, his imprint in the sand the only evidence of his visit.

* * *

"Well, this has certainly been a pleasure," Robotnik began, setting his empty coffee mug down onto the little saucer in front of him, "But it's getting late- we wouldn't want to keep you kids up on a school night."

"Plus we have a store to open tomorrow," Snively added, "6 A.M. always comes much too quickly…"

"Of course," Gerald nodded, rising from his seat, Shadow and Maria following suit automatically, "I can't thank you enough for coming."

"We'll have to do it again sometime," Eggman replied with false sincerity, buttoning up his suit jacket, "Oh, by the way, Shadow: Gerald tells me you haven't found employment yet…" he commented off-handedly.

"Employment? Um, well, I haven't really looked…" the hedgehog admitted, one hand behind his head.

"Well, I always have positions open at Egman's for family," he smiled toothily, "The pay's certainly good enough- you never know when you might need a little spare cash for motorcycle parts, or video games, or shop classroom repairs…"

Blushing furiously, Shadow turned a betrayed look at his adoptive father.

"Anywho, it's just an idea I thought I'd float out there," Julian shrugged, "Think it over."

"Right…" he nodded, staring at his feet.

"Um, it really was nice meeting you both after so long," Maria spoke up, shoulders turning towards the doorway.

"My sentiments exactly," Robotnik said cheerfully, holding out his hand to her.

She accepted it gracefully, "Be sure not to be strangers, alright?"

"Of course, my dear," he laughed, "And you should feel free to come by the store and visit sometime."

"We'd be delighted to have you…" Snively spoke up (after a withering glare from his uncle), shaking Shadow's hand courteously.

"I'll remember that," she said, taking her turn bidding the smaller man adieu.

"Good night, everyone!" Eggman called a brief moment later, bowing in mock-seriousness as the two supermarket managers walked down the front steps of the house into the cool night air.

The trio in the doorway waved them off (Maria lifted Shadow's arm for him, as he refused to do so on his own) and then retreating inside the house once they were out of sight.

Snively glanced over his shoulder at the dwelling, which was shrinking into the distance behind him, "That was…well, horrible, sir."

"Agreed," the taller man said, pulling his tie loose, "But not unfruitful, so we'll consider it worth the time."

"Technically, sir, he didn't agree to come work for us…"

"If he's as frustrated being stuck at home as I think he is, he'll come around soon enough," Julian replied.

Snively glanced up at the much larger man for a second as they passed a flickering street lamp, then turned his attention back to the sidewalk, continuing on into the darkness, "If you say so sir…"

* * *

Sally Acorn cleared her throat, poking at her dinner with her fork. "Um…how was your day, Daddy?"

"Busy, tiring, stressful," the Mayor of Mobotropolis said shortly, taking a quick, dissatisfied bite of his salad (a man in his position had to keep looking fit, but that didn't make the rabbit food any more flavorful), "You?"

"Kinda of exciting, actually," she said, "Couple of boys got into a fight in the parking lot."

"A couple of juvenile delinquents beating each others' brains out is barbaric, Sally, not exciting," Maximillian snapped coldly, "Just what this damn city needs- another pair of unmotivated, aggressive teenage trash."

Her smile faded, "Yes Daddy…" she said, head bowed.

He took another bite of his food, chewing irritably. More dressing might've helped some, but lettuce really didn't have a taste no matter what you did with it… "No one you know, I hope?"

"Not very well," she shook her head, "It was one of Knuckles' friends and a new boy at school. Poor Knuckles took quite a beating getting them to stop…"

"I'm sure his father'll be less than thrilled," Mayor Acorn pondered aloud, setting his fork down in the half-finished bowl, "Speaking of which, don't make plans for Saturday night; I'm holding a social gathering tomorrow night for the rich and powerful of Mobotropolis."

"Formal?" she asked. It wasn't as if she ever had weekend plans, unless it was school-related. It wasn't fit for the Mayor's daughter to be out on the town on her own, and the idea of having security tailing her to a friend's home or the mall was just too humiliating to ever consider.

"Yes," he confirmed, "The servants'll roll out the usual selection of dresses for you when it's closer to time."

"Alright," she nodded, "What's the occasion?"

"It's a whole slew of corporate big shots who contributed to the campaign- I'm sure my secretary wrote down the reason somewhere…"

"Oh," she said, smiling half-heartedly, "Well I'm sure it'll be…fun."

"Probably-" Max stopped short as a servant entered the room. The man passed him a slip of paper, which the Mayor scanned over quickly, "Sorry, Sally, I'm going to have to cut this short. I've got a few phone calls to make," he stood up from his seat and rounded the corner of the table, leaning down to kiss Sally on the cheek, "Have a good night, dear."

"Night Daddy," she murmured, forcing her smile to stay in place until he was gone from the room.

* * *

"You know, just cuz_I'm _keeping my hands to myself, doesn't mean _you_ have to," Rouge said quietly, pulling back from a fresh lip-lock to rub her nose against the echidna's.

He blushed embarrassedly, "I didn't think that that seemed really fair…" he replied quietly, his line of sight flickering downward to her chest for just a second before he managed to wrench it back up.

"I certainly don't mind," she told him, "But if you really wanna keep the score even, how about I just follow your lead?"

"M-me?" he gulped, more panicked than ever, glancing around desperately for a way out of his current, unforeseen predicament, "Well, i-it's kinda getting late; I really should be going, but, erm, m-maybe next time we could-"

She let out a small laugh, "Alright, alright, have it your way. But one last thing before you go…" And before he could even think to ask what it might be, she had pulled him down on top of her, kissing him deeply and twisting his tail around her index finger. After a long, mind numbing moment she released him. "Okay, go on, get out of here."

Still quite dazed, the echidna somehow managed to find his way to the door, waving childishly to her and grinning goofily, "I'll call you…" he managed woozily.

"Can't wait," she called after him, waving teasingly, "G'night, Red."

"Night-night…"

* * *

_'Huh! Well whadda ya know…'_ Turning the corner onto his block, Sonic grinned as he spotted his best friend making his way down the sidewalk, a noticeable lightness to his step. "Look at you gettin' home so late," he said snidely, slowing to an average human jog beside the echidna, "Ya get lost or something?"

"I could ask you the same question," Knuckles countered evasively, "Shouldn't you be, like, grounded for life?"

"Nah," he shook his head, "I was able to clean up before he saw me, and I blamed this little beauty on you," he added, pointing to his eye, "So all I gotta do is keep my stories straight about what I'm doing after school next week and I'll be fine."

"Ha," Knuckles snorted, obviously lacking confidence in his friend, "Good luck with that."

"Yeah, yeah, enough about me," Sonic said, waving off the cynicism, "How'd it go tonight?"

"Fine," the other stated casually, "We had dinner, got to know each other a little, nothing too exciting…"

Grinning cheekily, the hedgehog reached behind his friend, tugging lightly on the still unbuttoned flap above his tail. "Looks to me like there was a_little_ excitement going on…"

Flustered, Knuckles turned away quickly, hurriedly securing the little flap in place, "Shut up!"

"How far did ya let her get with you?"

"We just kissed, that's all…"

"Hey, that's not too shabby – better than I'd been hoping, anyway," Sonic said, a bit of pride swelling in his chest for his friend's milestone, "Bet she was fantastic, huh?"

"Yea- none of yer business," Knuckles recovered, wishing he'd been in better control of his tongue.

Sonic grinned, "Yeah, that's what I figured. I think _somebody_ owes me a big, hearty 'thank you'."

"How about a mumbled, corner-of-the-mouth, barely audible 'thanks'?"

"Sure, I'll take that too."

Knuckles sighed, patting his friend on the shoulder, "…Thanks, Sonic."

"Anytime, dude."

"And now that that's over with," the echidna reared back and smacked his best friend upside the head, "_That's_ for bailing without warning me!"

"Ow!" Sonic cried, rubbing his cranium, "Come on, if I had _told_ you I was gonna bail, would you have let me?"

"That's totally besides the point…"

"Okay, okay, sorry for the lack of warning – but you know it was for your own good. If I hadn't, you'd've been sitting at home alone all this time."

"Yeah, yeah," the red-furred humanoid checked his watch quickly, "Listen, I gotta get going- I'll talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night, man."

"Yep, see ya tomorrow!" the hedgehog said, giving a short, two-fingered salute before darting off up his own driveway.

_'10:45- good, I can get up stairs and pretend to be asleep before dad gets home…'_

* * *

"Why did he have to tell him about the shop room incident?" Shadow grumbled, drying a coffee mug distractedly.

"You know Papa," Maria smiled sympathetically, "Sometimes he just likes to talk…"

"And embarrass me…" he sighed, "I'm lucky he didn't drag out the baby pictures…"

"Look on the bright side," the human female replied, hot water from the kitchen sink faucet running over her hands as she passed him a dish, "You must not've made too bad an impression: they did offer you a job, after all."

"That's true…" he said, setting the cup down and accepting the plate, "Not the most glamorous of offers, but the extra cash _would_ be nice."

"Especially with Papa not working full-time anymore," Maria agreed, "That is, if you could ever get out of detention to put in any hours…"

"I think if I have work I can actually get out of having to do those damn detentions," Shadow mused aloud, carelessly tossing the plate into the dish strainer.

"There you go," she said, quickly reaching out to steady the dish, "So this might work out after all."

"Well, at least it'll save me having to think up excuses every afternoon next week…"

"And maybe you won't have time to get into so much trouble anymore," she teased, flicking water at him.

The flecks of water splashed against his face, "Hey!" he blinked in surprise, exhaling in a short, quick manner through his nose on instinctive impulse (much in the way a canine would), "Don't count on it," he mumbled, wiping away the rest of the liquid with a gloved hand.

"A girl can dream, can't she?" she shrugged.

"Suppose so."

"Just face it, Shadow, I'm never gonna give up on you," she told him, her tone teasing, but her eyes sincere.

"By now, I've just grown used to the fact," he laughed, dropping his damp towel onto the counter, "Though I think you could find better uses for your time."

"Nah," she shook her head, shutting the water off and grabbing a fresh towel from the oven handle, "Never."

"Your loss," he smirked, rolling his eyes. He patted his sister on the shoulder gently, "Still, it's a nice thought."

She smiled at him, "It's my job. Because you're my brother…and I 'wuv' you," she said, poking him lightly in the nose as she echoed his words from the beginning of the evening.

He rubbed the end of his ticklish nose embarrassedly, "Good."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Now, Knuckles, before you get upset, Sally and I agreed that- ack!"

The white-furred hedgehog's voice was caught in his throat, or rather trapped, as the echidna had his hands quite forcibly around it.

"Knuckles, please!" Sally cried, tugging on one of his arms, "Killing him won't help!"

The echidna growled angrily, but released Silver, "Why did I have to be on the front cover!?" he demanded of them, waving his copy of the school paper around wildly.

"It was the best shot we had of the action yesterday," the chipmunk explained, "And you have to admit, it's a pretty dynamic image."

He frowned darkly, "You got this past Mrs. Imgarle to printing?" he asked sulkily, his arms folded across his chest.

"Well…" The pair exchanged guilty looks before Sally continued. "She actually wasn't around when we added the article, but if she really had a problem with it, we would've heard by now."

Knuckles sighed, "You guys…"

"It's not like it's an unflattering picture," Silver pointed out.

"You actually look kinda badass," Sally added.

"You think?" he inquired cautiously, holding the paper up to get a better view of the front page.

"Oh totally!" she nodded.

"I mean, look at you! Holding your own against the both of them! It takes a seriously skilled fighter to do that," Silver said, head bobbing enthusiastically.

"…Well, I _guess_ it isn't that bad…"

The pair exchanged a second, more excited glance. "Exactly!"

Knuckles rolled his eyes in defeat, stuffing the paper in his locker and slamming the rusty door shut, "Alright, fine- just ask me next time. I gotta get to English; see you in Journalism."

"You betcha!" Silver said as they both waved him off. As the echidna vanished into the sea of students, he let out a sigh of relief. "I can't believe that worked."

"Lucky us he's a sucker for flattery," Sally agreed.

As he headed off towards class (the beginning itch of a sneeze coming on), a thought occurred to the echidna, _'Oh God…Sonic's gonna be unbearable today…'_

In the hallway adjacent to the one he had just passed, the blue hedgehog was strutting through a parted crowd of cheering students, arms outstretched, receiving high fives from each one he passed.

"Thank you, thank you! No, please, you're too kind!" he called smugly, basking in all the attention.

At the end of the hall, Shadow glowered at the scene, growling low in his throat.

Sonic slowed to a stop just in front of the black-furred hedgehog, still smirking proudly. He reached out and flicked Shadow's nose with one finger, then continued on his way, his thumbs hooked on the pockets of his blue jeans.

With a frustrated roar, Shadow leapt forward, but jerked back instantly, as Maria's hands caught hold of his shoulders. "Let it go…" she whispered.

He scowled and allowed his fists to drop back down to his sides, but the burning, dangerous hatred in his eyes didn't dissipate.

She kept hold of him until the blue show-boater was out of range, saying nothing, but her eyes too flared with disapproval. "Come on, we've got classes to get to."

"Right…"

* * *

"Don't you have a class of your own to be in?"

"Yeah, but it's Chemistry- I already know everything I need to in that area," Sonic chuckled, hopping up onto the desk next to Knuckles' computer, "Besides, I wanted to come congratulate the wonderful staff at our school rag on their kick-ass lead-off article."

The echidna sighed, chin in one hand while the other tapped half-heartedly at his keyboard. "More like you have a test today that you didn't study for…"

"Test?" Sonic scratched the side of his head in puzzlement, "Hey yeah, I _did_ have a test, didn't I? …Wow, totally forgot about that. Oh well- s'long as I show up every once in a while and keep winning track meets, they won't fail me."

"Must be nice not having to worry about stuff like that," Knuckles muttered.

"As long as I pass, Uncle Chuck doesn't really bother me about grades and shit," the blue-furred humanoid shrugged, "Speaking of chemistry, when're you and Rouge goin' out again?"

"I…I don't know…" he stammered, blushing, "I have to call her…"

"Make sure you call 'er today sometime- girls are picky that way," Sonic reminded him, leaning back on his hands, "Kinda funny, you havin' a girl and me all by my lonesome here. Damn, man, it's been a whole week; I gotta get back in the game…"

The blush vanished and he frowned, "I was kind of hoping you'd take a breather…maybe sit on the bench for a while."

"Please," Sonic laughed, sitting up straight again quickly, "This star athlete wasn't made to sit on the sidelines," he scoffed, placing his right hand on his chest.

Knuckles rolled his eyes in response, "Of course, how silly of me…Being God's Gift to Women is a full time job."

"Damn straight."

"That's funny," said a female voice that caused them both to turn as Sally Acorn entered the room, "I hadn't realized it was 'bring your jackass to class day'."

Sonic sat up, frowning slightly, taken aback by the unexpected appearance, "Who's this bundle of preppiness, Knux?"

"You know damn well who she is," the echidna said, not looking up from his computer.

"Oh that's right!" he said, slapping his forehead mockingly, "Sorry, Prez, didn't recognize ya without all the brown on yer nose…"

She bristled, "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Probably," he shrugged, not making any effort to move.

"He _said_ he came to congratulate us on the front-pager today," Knuckles said.

"And I did," Sonic insisted, "Hey Silver, frickin' epic shot, man!" he called across the room to the younger hedgehog.

Silver's white fur flushed pink and he beamed. "I do my best," he shrugged.

Picking up a copy of the paper from the desk next to him, the blue hedgehog began to skim the article (which he'd already read twice earlier that day), "Guess I have you to thank for all the flattering commentary, Sal?"

"Yes…" she said, brow creased, "Though I'm starting to regret it." Knuckles had certainly been right – the hedgehog's ego wasn't in need of any stroking.

Sonic turned to his best friend, "So does this class even have a teacher, or did they figure it was unnecessary with the Prez here?"

"We have a 'supervisor'," he answered.

"And she's currently enjoying an hour long smoke-break," Sally added.

"And you're still in here doin' work?" Sonic asked, dumbfounded, "Damn, what a buncha goodie-goodies…"

"Wish that was the first time we'd heard that…" Silver said glumly.

"This class technically has about 30 people in it, but we're they only ones who actually joined for the purpose of, you know, learning journalism…" Knuckles explained.

"Now _there's_ a good use of your time," Sonic said snidely.

"Huh," Sally said, cocking her head to one side, "So that's what it looks like."

"Perfection?" Sonic inquired slyly, flashing her a wicked grin.

"Total and utter lack of ambition," she answered, "I've never seen it before."

The hedgehog stood up slowly (throwing the most imperceptible of winks at Knuckles as he slid off the table), tapping the toe of one of his signature bright-red sneaker against the ground, "Well, we can't all be daddy's perfect little photo-op," he stated casually.

Panic in his eyes, the echidna watched as Sally's expression went from aghast to infuriated and she took a step forward, slapping the hedgehog hard across the face. _'Oh no…'_

Sonic flinched, but didn't stagger, "Pretty nice arm ya got there, Prez," he smirked, rubbing his sore cheek briefly.

Knuckles' face fell. _'No, no, no…he's not actually…'_

"Oh kiss my ass, you jerk," she told him, nose in the air.

"I'm just sayin', between school and bein' on the news every night with your dad, it must be hard finding time for a life," he continued matter-of-factly, "Following the rules and being what people expect you to be is fine, I guess, but when are you gonna get a chance to be an individual? You're already a senior in high school and you only get to live once…" Normally it wasn't necessary to demonstrate that in addition to being 'cool' he had a pretty fair brain, but this case was a tricky one: with a specimen such as the class president, he'd have to show her that he could hold up his end of a substantive conversation, too.

_'He _is_…'_ Knuckles could only watch in dismay as Sally took this in.

She pursed her lips, considering. "And I suppose you consider sliding through school on cruise control and serving weekly detentions 'living'?"

Sonic grinned brightly, one hand smoothing out his blue spikes, "Hardly- tell ya what: go out with me tonight and I'll show you what I'm talking about."

The echidna was shaking his head pleadingly while the Silver was gaping at his watch, unable to believe what he was witnessing. _'Wasn't she hitting him, like a _minute_ ago?! He really _is_ the Master!'_

Sally put a hand on her hips, eyeing him with scrutiny. As much as he repulsed her, she had to admit a part of her was curious. _'And him showing up at our doorstep would sure as hell get Daddy's attention…' _"Fine," she said at last, "Show me. I'll expect you at my house by seven."

"See ya then," he nodded, folding his hands behind his head as he walked out of the classroom (still had time to use the restroom, wander the halls for a while, and get to Chemistry in time to scrawl some answers on his test), smirking back at Knuckles.

"Wow…" Silver breathed aloud (albeit unintentionally) once he had gone.

_'Goddammit…'_ Knuckes sighed, hanging his head, his dreadlocks almost completely covering his face.

* * *

"What'cha workin' on?" Silver asked, leaning over Amy's shoulder as the pair of them sat at the lunch table that afternoon.

"Hmm? Oh, just some new T-shirt designs," the pink-furred humanoid explained, setting her pencil down atop her sketch pad (the one safe for brandishing at school, the one _not_ filled with dozens upon dozens of sketches of Sonic).

"I like 'em," he told her earnestly, "I bet they'll look great on you."

Amy tittered happily, taking a swig of her cola, "Thanks, I hope so too- if I have time this weekend I'm gonna see if I can put one or two'a these together."

"Sounds like a plan," he smiled, "You uh…you wouldn't want any company during that, would you?" he asked, tracing circles on the table with an index finger.

"Hmm? What d'you mean?"

"Well, I just thought that, that maybe-"

"Just letting you know, Sonic, you'd better be dressed nicer than that when you come pick me up tonight."

Everyone at the table looked up to see the senior class president, Sally Acorn, standing just behind Sonic. The blue hedgehog smirked, "Anything for you, Princess."

She let out a little, indignant "Hmph!" and walked off, to join the others at the Student Council table.

"Wha…what was that about…?" Amy asked, her voice shaky as she watched the chipmunk depart.

Silver sighed, knowing that any chance he'd had of getting out his question properly was lost. Her attention was, as always, back on Sonic…

"Sonic's got a date tonight, what else is new?" Knuckles frowned, polishing off the remains of his applesauce cup.

"With the class president??" Tails asked, looking impressed, "How'd you manage that?"

"Hey, c'mon, it's me, remember?" Sonic countered confidently, folding his hands behind his head and leaning back in his seat, "I can get any girl I want."

"Wow," the fox said, letting out a low whistle, "Cool."

"Yeah…" Knuckles snorted, "Fan-freakin-tastic…"

"Dude, what's your problem, huh?" The blue hedgehog demanded irritably, rounding on his friend, "You knew I'd land another one eventually…"

Before the echidna could respond, Amy rose from the table, gathering her things hastily. "I…I'm sorry, I just remembered I have to be somewhere…" she stammered, "I'll see you guys later."

"See ya," Sonic said off-handedly, his attention still focused on Knuckles. Two seats over, Silver set down the remains of his sandwich bitterly as he too said a short (probably unnoticed) good-bye to the pink hedgehog. Suddenly he no longer felt very hungry…

"Talk to ya later!" Tails waved a gloved hand in Amy's general direction.

"My _problem_," Knuckles said, as if the conversation had never been interrupted, "is that I figured the next one you 'landed' would be another airhead I didn't know – not somebody I actually happen to care about."

"Ya know, you can't have dibs on _all_ the good ones…"

"That's not what I mean and you know it!" he cried, bringing one palm down on the table a little harder than necessary, "I know how you work – you've never had a girlfriend for more than a few months, _tops._Sally's a good friend and I don't want her getting hurt."

"Geez, calm down, spaz, we haven't even gone on a date yet…" Sonic said, holding up his hands defensively.

"I'm just saying, you better not pull any of the usual shit with her," he said warningly, "So if you're not genuinely interested after tonight,_please_ let her down easy."

"Hey, we'll see how it goes, alright?" the other shrugged.

"Fine, fine," Knuckles nodded, teeth clenched on his spoon.

Tails shook his head in amusement, _'Those two never stop…'_ "You okay over there, Silver?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the white-furred hedgehog.

"Hmm…? Oh yeah, just great…" he answered, staring off towards the double doors at the other end of the room.

"Wonder what Amy had to do…?" Sonic mused aloud, following Silver's gaze.

The younger hedgehog turned back sharply, anger flashing in golden eyes. _'Idiot! Does he really not realize…?'_

"Gee, er, I dunno," Tails shrugged innocently, scratching his cheek with one finger.

"Wherever she went, I'm pretty sure she'd rather not be disturbed," Knuckles said, trying to catch Silver's eye.

"How d'you know that?" Sonic inquired, puzzled.

The echidna could only sigh in exasperation.

* * *

_'Come on, Amy, get a grip,'_ the pink hedgehog told herself, splashing water on her face as she stood before the wall length mirror in the girl's restroom. _'You knew it was only a matter of time…'_ She let out a tiny whimper, wiping at her reddened eyes. She couldn't go back to the table, not looking like this. It was too pathetically obvious what she'd been doing, and she wasn't exactly ready to face him again anyway.

The Mayor's daughter…now there was an unexpected development. At least Sonic had raised the bar from his usual standards: Sally Acorn was smart, sensible, accomplished, famous, _and_ (to top it all off) quite pretty. A little snobbish, perhaps, but generally likable, _'At least I could hate most of the other girls…'_

She shook the last bits of water from her cropped spikes and straightened up. Picking up her backpack from the floor, she turned towards the door. There was still time before classes started again – getting some fresh air was probably her best move.

* * *

"No detention today?"

"Nope!" Sonic stated proudly, stretching his arms above his head as the pair headed out into the bright sunlight of the cool, October afternoon, "Scot-free until tomorrow."

Knuckles rolled his eyes, "Lucky you. And no work, either?"

"Off 'til Monday, thank God," the hedgehog smirked, "Who knows, with all this free time on my hands, maybe I'll swing by Walmart in a little while…"

The echidna frowned, "You really don't have to do that…"

"Well cleaning the side of yer house is only gonna take me about five minutes, then I've got all afternoon free before my date…"

"Wonderful," he sighed, "What do you plan on doing for this thing tonight, anyway?"

"Probably change into something a little nicer, first off," he laughed, tugging at his worn, ratty T-shirt with his thumb and forefinger, "Then we're gonna go for a little jog…"

"Jog, huh? Well that oughtta be something new for her."

"Yeah, I know this sweet little diner near Oceanopolis I think she'll enjoy."

"What? You mean you're really gonna take her cross-country?"

Sonic cocked his head to one side, glancing at his friend curiously, "Why? What's wrong with that?"

"N-nothing, I'm, well actually I'm impressed," Knuckles said, running a hand through his dreadlocks, "It's quite a gesture."

The other shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably, "Just something different, that's all…"

"It's encouraging, that's what it is," Knuckles said with a smile.

"Yeah, well, I didn't think the club scene would be her style," Sonic chuckled, hoping to alleviate the mood a bit.

"No, probably not," the echidna shook his head, "She should like that – someplace quiet, away from the city… For what it's worth, I _do_ hope it goes well."

"Me too…" Sonic muttered quietly.

* * *

"Just one more damn year- why can't the old man let me drop out and be done with it?"

"Come on," Maria said, adjusting the shoulder strap of her book bag as the pair walked home, "You'd be selling yourself short if you didn't graduate."

"It's not the work, it's just this whole fuckin' place…" he sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The level of work provided at public schools had never been an issue for him, especially after being home schooled for most of his childhood (the doctor certainly wasn't a slouch as a teacher). Getting good grades was just naturally a breeze for him- the environment, however, was a different story entirely, and not only because this was their…God, how many schools did this make now? A moronic, aggressive, student population, an unenthusiastic teaching staff, and a disciplinary system that constantly clashed with his extremely short temper all made for an unbearable atmosphere.

"I know…" she sighed, "But like you said, it's only one more year. And Papa thinks it's important we be around people our own age, so we'll just have to make the best of it."

"Dammit Maria, you really know how to destroy a good funk, don't you?"

"It's been what, seventeen years now?" she grinned, "I've had a lot of practice."

"Guess you would, hangin' out with me and the doc all the time…" he admitted, smirking pityingly at her.

"When it works it's totally worth it," she told him, bumping against him playfully as they walked.

He laughed in spite of himself, stumbling slightly but recovering just as quickly.

* * *

"Daddy? Daddy, you in here?" Sally poked her head in the doorway of her father's office.

Mayor Acorn, buried under a mountain of paperwork and memo briefings, didn't look up from his seat, "Yes, dear, I'm in here. How was school?"

"Interesting," she said, hands behind her back as she strolled into the room, "The paper was a big hit, I got into a bit of an argument with one of the boys who was in that fight yesterday, then he asked me out."

Turning to his laptop, Maximillian let out a short bark of a laugh, "Ha! Well, you'll learn quickly there're all kinds of idiots in the world- hell, just look at the paparazzi…"

"Yeah…" she said, gazing about the room absent-mindedly, "…I said yes."

"That's nice-" the Mayor stopped short, looking up from his computer suddenly, eyes wide, "…Come again?" he asked, hoping he hadn't heard correctly.

"I said yes," she repeated, rocking on her heels, "He's picking me up at seven tonight."

"Alright, Sally, very funny, this little joke of yours has gone on far enough," Mr. Acorn said firmly, turning back to his work, "Heh, you accepting a date with a hoodlum, honestly…Now, for dinner tonight, the chefs want to know if you'd prefer Italian or Chinese?"

"I won't be here for dinner," she said, taking a step forward, "He really is coming – if you're not too busy, you can meet him."

"Sally, you can't be serious; you know the rules," Max stated sternly, standing up from his seat, "Your protection detail has to be given time to run a proper background check on any boy you bring over, then _I_ have to clear it. If the press got a hold of pictures of you with some thug…"

"I know, I know – they'll have a field day," she answered automatically, "Why do you think I haven't brought any boys home since you were elected? It just didn't seem worth it, with all the hoops to jump through. But this thing was totally spontaneous and I…I couldn't say no."

"Couldn't say no?" he repeated incredulously, "Darling, it's two damn letters…"

"Okay, maybe I_could've_…" she shrugged, "But I didn't want to. He intrigues me."

The Mayor frowned coldly, then retook his seat, "Have it your way, Sally, but I'm sending additional protection with you."

Dismayed, but not all that surprised, she nodded, "Fine."

"So where're you two going?" her father inquired automatically, the thought being that it probably wouldn't be a wise move to alienate his uncooperative daughter any further- he had a party he needed her to attend tomorrow, after all…

"I'm not sure," she admitted, "We didn't exactly hammer out the details yet."

"Ah, this date keeps sounding better and better…"

She flushed, "It'll be fine, I'm sure we won't go far – I just don't think it's in his nature to plan things out too far in advance."

"You think? Sally, how long have you known this boy?"

"We've been going to school together since kindergarten," she told him, "We've never really spoken much before today, but he's Knuckles best friend, so it's not like he's a total stranger."

"Not a total stranger, no, just a known delinquent and brawler…This punk got a name?"

"Sonic Hedgehog."

"Never heard of him- what do his parents do?"

"According to Knuckles they died in a car crash when he was little," she answered, "He lives with his uncle as far as I know."

"Pity," he replied, though his tone displayed no sympathy.

"Right," she said, "So anyway I just wanted to let you know. I'll be in my room."

"Very well," the other nodded, turning back to the top report on his desk.

* * *

"I gotta say, Knux, blue is totally _not_ your color."

"Did you really come here just to make fun of me?" Knuckles sighed, fidgeting with his large, obnoxious-yellow nametag.

"Well that was a big part of it," Sonic smirked, "I've also gotta feed my 'Cocaine' habit," he continued, winking at a pair of attractive human females who'd just entered the store ("Hey, welcome to Walmart!").

"I don't have any money, Sonic…"

"That's okay, I've got your twenty bucks from Uncle Chuck, I'll just use that."

Knuckles groaned, burying his face in his thick gloves, "I'm never going to get that back, am I?"

"Doesn't seem very likely, no," the hedgehog agreed, patting his friend on the shoulder sympathetically, shaking his head.

The echidna could only sigh heavily, "I have to wonder – where does the money go that_you_ earn?"

"Mortgage, electricity, water, video games, booze- you know, the essentials."

"Of course," he nodded, "Well, don't let me hold you up – by all means, spend my money."

"Awesome- you're like, the best enabler ever, man."

"I do what I can…" he mumbled, head hung.

An older, pudgy, balding human male approached the pair from his position 'surveying' the snack-bar, "Hey, Knuckles!" he called, cupping one sweaty hand around his mouth, "Julie-Su called out, so you're gonna be covering women's after your 15!"

"Er, yes sir," Knuckles managed, before Sonic began snickering.

"Women's?"

"Shut up."

"Do you get to try on the bras and shit too while you're over there? Maybe gossip with the other crows about when yer gonna buy that dress you've always wanted?"

"I said shut up!"

"Alright, alright," the blue hedgehog laughed. He disappeared for a second, then returned, standing on the opposite side of Knuckles, a 6-pack of tall, red, aluminum cans labeled 'Cocaine' held in his hand, "Well, I'm out- gotta pay for these, then wash your house. You remember to call Rouge before rushing over here?"

"Yeah, but she must've been at work," he answered, unfazed, "I left a message."

Sonic nodded, "Kay- you might wanna try again tonight if she doesn't get back to you. Talk to you later."

"Right," the other nodded, "See ya."

* * *

"Welcome to Egman's, sir!"

"May we help you find something?"

Shadow blinked, taken aback by the metallic pair (one silver, one gold) now standing in his path. "I'm looking for Dr. Kintobor," he said flatly.

Both robots glanced at each other in confusion, "Ah yes," the taller robot mused aloud, "The manager does have a doctorate, I suppose."

"Normally we try not to bother the manager," the shorter stated, rubbing its metallic hands together, "Might we inquire as to your business with him?"

"He offered me a job last night," the hedgehog answered, "I'd like to speak with him about the details before I decide whether to accept or not."

The two huddled close together, "A job applicant?" the leaner, dull yellow colored bot, Decoe by designation, inquired softly, "But the only other living employee is the middle manager…"

The stockier one, labeled Bocoe, darted a glance at the humanoid. "Perhaps we should consult with _him_ before disturbing the manager."

"Excellent plan," the other agreed, straightening up, "We will see what we can do for you, sir."

"Fan-fucking-tastic," he sighed, leaning back against the nearest register station, "I'll wait right here."

The two robots quickly turned tail and walked away stiffly, "That creature seems somewhat scary, Bocoe…"

"Agreed- oil leakage was nearly imminent…"

Shadow sniffed indignantly as he watched the pair hurry away. Building A.I.s capable of cowardice didn't seem conducive to any means – impressive on a technological standpoint, but by no means useful in any way. Is this what Gerald meant by the doctor wasting his PhD?

A moment after the two had scurried off, a smaller, flying robot approached him. The bizarre little creation, which seemed shaped a bit like those popular 'Chao' plushy dolls, was outfitted with a jetpack and wearing a blue, button-down shirt with a matching blue policeman's cap (probably stolen) and a bronze badge which read 'Bokkun: security'. It floated to a halt several feet away from Shadow, the camera it held in both hands pointed directly at the hedgehog, "Hi!" it grinned widely.

Shadow raised an eyebrow at the camera before eyeing the bot itself. "Hello…"

"You don't look like the hedgehog that usually comes in here," the droid stated, its high-pitched voice causing its every word to sound cheerful, "He always makes trouble- are you here to cause trouble too?"

"I'm here to see the doc – er, manager," he answered, "But even if I was here to make trouble, what could _you_ possibly do to stop me?"

Affronted, the little machine stuck its nose up in the air snootily, "I may be small, but I can be explosive when need be," it grinned wickedly, "Besides, I've already got you on camera," it finished proudly, tapping a finger against the large recording device.

"I can see that," he said, glaring darkly at it, "And if you want to keep that thing in one piece, I suggest getting it out of my face."

Eyes widening in fear, Bokkun floated up higher towards the ceiling. It stuck its large, blue tongue immaturely out at Shadow, "Meanie!" With that, the robot fluttered away, off in search of someone more pleasant to pester.

_'I wonder if working here is really such a good idea,'_ Shadow thought, running one hand over his red-streaked spikes.

"What're you both babbling about-?" Snively, being pushed fervently down the nearest aisle by both Decoe and Bocoe, cut off his own question as he caught sight of the black-furred hedgehog, "Oh, good afternoon, Shadow…" he drawled dully, "What can I do for you?"

"Your boss offered me work here yesterday night," the teen answered, straightening up, glad to have someone who recognized him finally present, "I wanted to talk to him about it."

"Certainly, follow me…" the short, balding human nodded, gesturing at Shadow as he spun around on his heels and headed off in the opposite direction, "You'll have to forgive our incompetent staff- they're just robots, after all…"

"So I've noticed," the hedgehog said, falling into step beside the human, "Did the doctor really build them all?"

"Indeed," Snively responded, walking slowly down the cereal aisle, his hands folded behind his back.

"Cheaper than living workers, I imagine."

"And more obedient…"

"True enough, though giving them distinct personalities seems like it would counteract that."

"Well, Uncle Julian likes to add a little flare to his creations- and believe me, we have plenty of mindless drones," the human continued, gesturing towards a group of tall, navy-blue colored robots, which were busily stocking shelves from piles of cardboard boxes. Each was human-shaped, standing at least a foot taller than Snively, with dome-shaped heads and a single, red-line visor for vision.

"Ahh…" Shadow nodded, watching them curiously.

Arriving at the manager's office, Snively rapped smartly on the open door, "Doctor? Shadow's here, sir…"

"Hmm?" Robotnik glanced up from his paperwork, "Oh-ho! Well isn't this a pleasant surprise! I wasn't expecting to hear from you for a couple of days," he said, rising from his seat.

"Certain circumstances at school have forced my hand," Shadow replied gruffly, folding his arms across his chest, "What exactly does this job of yours entail?"

_'Circumstances? That was fast…'_ "A mixed blessing then," the rotund human said, "As for the job, it can be just about anything you'd like – we can use an extra hand in nearly all our departments, though if your adoptive father is correct in his boastings, your strength would come in quite handy in our backroom."

"Fine," the humanoid replied, leaning against the doorframe, "I'll need hours tomorrow morning and every afternoon next week, then you can schedule me whenever the hell you want."

"That won't be a problem," Julian said, nodding decisively, "We'll get your training out of the way first thing tomorrow, before it gets busy – think you can be here by eight?"

"Yeah, sure," Shadow snorted, groaning inwardly at the prospect of having to get up so early on a weekend- sleeping until noon was always so much nicer…Still, if his only other option was detention, morning work had to be tolerated.

"Excellent," the human said, smiling broadly and turning to rummage through his desk, "I'll send the paperwork home with you now. Fill it out there and I'll get it sorted tomorrow."

"Right," the black-furred hedgehog said. He paused, coughing awkwardly into one hand, "Erm, thanks…"

"Pleasure to have you aboard, m'boy," Robotnik replied, patting him on the shoulder as he handed over a manila folder.

"See you tomorrow… sir," Shadow accepted the envelope roughly, then walked out of the room, his technologically advanced shoes clacking loudly against the less-than-sparkling white tiles as he departed.

After the door shut behind him, the taller human turned to the shorter, grinning, "See? Told you he'd come around."

"You were right, as always, sir…" Snively admitted, automatically trying to straighten up the towers of paper piled up on the doctor's desk (it was merely a habit by now- if he didn't, they'd never manage to find anything when closing time rolled around).

"And a lot faster too – wonder what he's done to get himself into trouble at school this early in the semester…" Julian mused, tapping his index finger against his chin.

"Suppose it couldn't have been too terrible- there haven't been any explosions or deaths at the school reported recently…"

"Nevertheless, it's good news for us! In no time at all, he'll be –"

"Manager!!" The mustached human was interrupted as both Decoe and Bocoe came careening into the office in a panic. "That humanoid left with employment papers in his hand!"

"Are you really hiring him?"

"Are we being replaced?"

"We haven't done anything wrong lately, have we?"

"Calm down, you half-wits," Robotnik roared over the ever-increasing din, his hands held up defensively, "No one's getting replaced!"

"_Replaced?!?_" Bokkun (who had floated through the door just in time to hear the second half of the statement) cried, green eyes welling with tears.

"Who's getting replaced?" Scratch (the tall, chicken-shaped humanoid robot) asked, poking his head in the door. Approximately two feet below his head was that of his possibly even more imbecilic partner, Grounder, looking equally fearful and curious.

Robotnik let out a growl of frustration and then bellowed, "OUT! All of you out of the office right now! Back to work or you'll ALL be getting scrapped!!"

Snively watched in amusement as the droids made themselves scarce once again, tripping over one another as they fled the office, "Handled with your usual poise and delicacy, sir…"

"Hush," the taller man grumbled, massaging his temple with forefinger and thumb, "Good help is so hard to build these days…"

* * *

"They stuck you with us tonight, huh?" a teen human female asked, smirking from behind the fitting room counter as Knuckles approached.

"There was a call-out, apparently…" he explained, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "So here I am," he paused, dreading what he had to say next, "I, erm, I'm in…Women's…"

"Excellent!" she chirped, "We've got a crap load of stuff that needs to go out to the floor, right over here." She gestured off to one side, where a large rack of garments was sitting.

Garments was a bit general, actually, as most of the items seemed to be…well,_under_garments. Knuckles blushed unintentionally, "Oh boy…"

She giggled. "Have fun. Oh, and don't be afraid to call me on the walkie if you don't know where something goes."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that," he snorted sarcastically (as if this wasn't going to be mortifying enough), wrapping his gloves around the handle of the overflowing cart and pushing off towards the section marked 'Lingerie'.

The girl behind the counter waved him off then turned to a fellow coworker who had just emerged from the back. "Guess who we get tonight?"

"No way – Red? Really?"

"Tell the other girls. And remember to thank Julie-Su for calling out."

"Oh yeah, totally," the other nodded, hurrying off gleefully.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As the doorbell echoed through the Mayor's mansion, Sally glanced at the clock on her bedside table. _'Seven on the dot, wow, talk about punctual…'_ She pulled her second shoe in place (a strappy, black, high-heeled sandal that matched her satin cocktail dress perfectly), straightened her hair in the mirror one last time, and then darted out the door of her room.

The elderly butler opened the door, staring down his nose at the shorter, blue-furred humanoid, "May I help you, sir?" he inquired, the politeness in his voice forced and thin.

Sonic was clad in the same attire he'd been wearing for school that day with the exception of a freshly washed dark-green polo T-shirt. "Hey, pops, Sal around?"

"I'm here!" she called out from the top of the stairs, hoping to keep her dear servant from having to respond (his disapproval was sure to match her father's).

"You, erm, know this young man, Mistress?" Nigel inquired stiffly, raising an eyebrow disapprovingly at her as he craned his neck around to look up the stairs at Sally.

"Wow, smokin' dress, Princess," Sonic remarked with a grin, his hands folded behind his head.

"Ah, thank you," she said, blushing as she hurried down to the foyer, "And yes, Nigel, this is Sonic. We're going out to dinner tonight."

"NIGEL!" came a thundering voice from another room, "Who's at the door!?"

"A boy who thinks he's leaving the premises with your daughter, sir," the butler called out.

The mayor stormed into the room, his expensive suit creased from the unexpected leap he'd made out of his chair just seconds prior. He slowed to a more dignified pace, smoothing out his suit with one hand quickly as he padded towards his daughter, arms spread wide, "Sally, you look ravishing," he commented warmly, ignoring Sonic completely.

"Thank you, Daddy," she said, echoing his tone, taking hold of his hands, "Come to see me off?"

"If I must," he sighed, rounding on Sonic. He straightened up to his fullest height, extending a gloved hand civilly to the hedgehog, "Maximillian P. Acorn, Mayor of Mobotropolis."

"Sonic Hedgehog, nice ta meet 'cha," the younger humanoid smiled, slapping the mayor's hand in a friendly manner (rather than give the anticipated handshake).

Perturbed, the male chipmunk cleared his throat. "Indeed," he said stiffly, "Tell me, Mr. Hedgehog, where exactly will you be taking my daughter this evening? She was a little…fuzzy on the details."

"Aw, c'mon, Mr. A, that'd ruin the surprise," Sonic laughed, punching the elder gentleman playfully on the shoulder.

Mayor Acorn chuckled airily and then leaned down, closer to the teen, "I suggest not doing that again, son – I could have you arrested."

"Okay!" Sally said, hiding the nervousness in her voice with as much good humor as she could muster, and taking hold of Sonic's arm (conveniently placing herself between the two males in the process), "Well, this has been fun, but we really have to be going."

_'Talk about not havin' a sense of humor- I figured the guy would hate me, but geez…'_ Sonic raised an eye-ridge at the politician, but merely shrugged, "Yeah, we'll catch ya later, Mr. A."

"Sally, aren't you forgetting something?" the mayor inquired, again choosing to ignore the repulsive hoodlum.

Before she could protest, a flock of about twenty men in black suits filed into the room from either side, coming to a stop in an intimidating cluster behind her father. With a mortified groan, she covered her face with one hand. "Daddy, you didn't…"

"Well, given your current company, my chief of security and I agreed that it would be necessary to increase the size of your detail…"

"The hell-?" Sonic asked, more confused than ever.

She took a deep breath and managed to flash him a weak smile. "This is my security team…times about ten tonight…"

"Well that won't get awkward," he chuckled, his laid-back attitude allowing him to take such daunting news in stride, "Gotta tell you, I'm not sure I have enough dough on me to pay for all them too…"

"You mean you still wanna do this?" she asked, eyebrows arched. Standing just a foot or two away, the mayor looked equally surprised.

"Yeah, c'mon, let's bail."

"Uh, right…" she said, following hurriedly as he strode back out the front door. Scanning the semi-circular driveway, she asked, "Did the valet take your car?"

"Car?" he repeated, taking the steps two at a time, "Don't need one."

"Then how do you get around??" She darted a glance back up at the doorway, where the suits were trailing after them.

He blinked, staring at her in a mixture of confusion and disappointment, then he let out a short laugh, "Guess Knux didn't tell you much about me, huh? Actually, the way Deputy Downer goes, that's probably a good thing…"

"Probably," she nodded.

"You wanna see how I get around?" he inquired slyly, cracking his neck back and forth once.

She glanced back at the guards. "Sure. Thrill me."

"Can do," he nodded, scooping her up into his arms, "I'd hold on if I were you," he stated casually (needed to give the girl fair warning, after all), before he fired forward at what he considered to be roughly a third of his top speed. It was a little much, perhaps, but hey, if it impressed her…

She was so shaken, and the wind so thoroughly knocked from her, that she barely registered the sound of gunshots in the distance, only becoming truly aware of the panic her sudden departure must have caused when she was finally able to open her eyes and could see the bullet that had reached the farthest seemingly slowing to a stop in midair a foot or so away. Bewildered, and unused to the enormous force of the wind bearing down on them, she shut her eyes again, clinging to the hedgehog tightly.

Sonic, quite used to such pressure, grinned proudly, pausing to flick the projectile away as one might an irritating insect. There would be no use trying to talk to her at such speeds, what with the noise from the wind pressure, but it wouldn't be long until they reached their destination anyways. _'Still, maybe she'll appreciate the scenic route,'_ he thought as he ran with the artistic mastery of a tightrope walker along one of the middle country's (which they had entered after only two minutes or so) numerous mountain passages, his feet moving so fast that they barely seemed to be touching the thin, metal railing that separated the safe roadways and the miles long drops.

When she dared to open her eyes again, she was staring over the edge of a canyon, and with a yelp, she turned upwards towards the hedgehog, her overwhelmed expression speaking volumes for her.

He leapt, gracefully bypassing an entire winding passage way (which worked around a rather steep valley) and landing on the other side of the road. In a flash, the former obstacle was nothing but a speck in the distance behind them as he continued on, pouring on more speed. They'd reach Oceanopolis in less than a minute now; he glanced down at her for an instant, winking knowingly, then turning his attention back to his path. Everything moved in such slow-motion compared to him that it wasn't always necessary to keep his full focus on what lay ahead.

She lurched forward only slightly when he came to a stop, as his hold on her was amazingly strong. Heart racing, she couldn't get her fingers to work well enough to loosen their grip on his shirt. "Wow…" she managed weakly, "That's…a helluva way to travel…"

"It gets me from A to B," he smiled, content to simply hold her for a moment while she recovered.

"Where are we?" she asked, as the scenery came into focus around her.

"Just outside Oceanopolis," he replied, just a hint of pride in his voice.

Her eyes widened, "And there's only one Oceanopolis in the country, right? On the northwest coast?"

"That's the one," he nodded, walking slowly up the side of the hill where they'd stopped, the dust from the dirt path discoloring his shoes slightly. The lush trees and forestry surrounding the little-used walkway caused the shadows made by the evening sun to dance frantically around them on the ground.

"When you said 'let's bail', you really weren't kidding, huh?" she mused, happy to stay in his arms (as she wasn't sure she could trust her own legs just yet) as she marveled at the remote scenery.

"Trust me, I didn't have a date planned for twenty-two…" he grinned.

"I really have to thank you for that," she said, staring out at the path ahead of them, "I haven't been able to go out entourage-free since before the election."

"I had a hunch," Sonic replied as the lines of trees flanking them suddenly stopped as they reached the top of the hill, "It's no problem: I think we'll have a better time without Tall, Dark, Ugly and the crew…"

Her laughter at the comment dissolved into an audible gasp as she gazed up at the lighthouse they'd come upon. "Oh my…"

He paused to breathe deeply, taking in both the sea air and a faint trace of her delightful perfume. Carefully, he adjusted her weight in his arms, hoping to stave off the slight burn of lactic acid that had begun to build up around his muscles from remaining in one position for so long.

Realizing just how long he'd been holding her as she gaped at the scenery, she cleared her throat shyly. "I, um, I think I'm alright to walk from here…"

"You sure?" he asked politely (though his gaze had begun to travel towards less courteous territory).

"Yeah," she nodded, "Can't have you carrying me all night long," she added with a grin.

"As you command, Princess…" he chuckled, gently letting her feet touch the ground again.

Blushing, she straightened up, smoothing out her skirt. "What's with that nickname?" she asked, amused to note that, in heels, she was just a_bit_ taller than he was.

"Just seems to fit you," he shrugged, placing his gloved hands in his pockets, "You're rich, well-spoken, a leader, related to the closest thing our town has to royalty…"

"Suppose I can't argue with that," she said, now fussing with her hair, which had become extremely untamed during the trip.

"Our restaurant is just a little past the lighthouse," he explained, continuing on causally up the hill, the evening breeze sending ripples across his loose, semi-formal shirt.

"Ahh, I was wondering why we were up here," she said, falling into step beside him, "I mean, it's beautiful, but I didn't think you were hiding a picnic in your pocket."

"Sorry, maybe next time," he replied, flashing her his most charming smile.

"Okay," she nodded. Already, a 'next time' didn't seem like too bad of an idea.

_'She didn't say 'we'll see'. That's a good sign…'_ "Just fair warning: you might be a little overdressed, but it's cool- they'll just think yer rich."

"Which wouldn't be too off-base," she said.

"Exactly," he agreed, "Ah, there we go," he pointed to a well-lit building approximately half a football field away from the lighthouse. It was a small diner, situated near the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea, the neon-red sign atop (which simply read 'EAT') flickering occasionally.

She put a hand to her mouth. "It's…adorable."

"And the food's awesome too," he stated, taking her free hand in his, "C'mon, let's go!" With that he started off towards the structure at a normal person's jog.

Laughing in surprise, she allowed herself to be pulled along. 'Overdressed' was a bit of an understatement, she realized the moment they stepped through the door, but any awkwardness she may have felt soon dissipated. The interior was charming, quaint, and simple and the atmosphere was quiet. Not the stifled, forced quiet of the places she usually dined with her father and his associates, but the comfortable quiet of patrons who seemed to have all left their problems at the door.

Sonic waved casually with his free hand at one or two of the passing waitresses (mostly middle-aged females), all of whom waved back cheerfully, "I know it's probably not like the places you usually go to, but good food can be bought for under $50," he said, leading her towards the back of the restaurant.

"I know," she laughed, "I used to actually eat that sort. Back before the days of State Dinners and personal chefs."

"Guess a lot changes when you're in the spotlight so often, huh?" the blue-furred humanoid asked as he pushed open the door at the back of the diner marked 'To Balcony', his tone fading subtly from jovial to contemplative.

"I'll say," she nodded, "So much so that sometimes I really wonder how much goes by that I don't…" her voice caught in her throat as they stepped out onto the tiny deck overlooking the ocean, "…notice…" she finished quietly.

The last traces of the evening sun, seen mainly through its brilliant plethora of orange and red hues reflected against the partially cloudy skies, shimmered off the calm, ever-moving sea. The salty-air drifted up steadily from the ocean, mixing interestingly with the delicious aromas coming from the kitchens, "Well, the more you have on your plate at once, the less attention you can give to the little things…" he offered, gesturing for her to take a seat at a table close to the edge of the wooden balcony.

"I can't remember that last time I actually had time to enjoy a sunset," she mused, eyes still on the horizon as she sat down.

"Doesn't look that great from our neck of the woods- not through all the smog, anyway…" he added, sliding into the seat across from her.

"True," she nodded, "I never thought I'd miss the suburbs, but the air quality is definitely something to be desired in the middle of a city like ours."

"Yeah, it gets better out towards the outer city where me an' my uncle live," he agreed, his menu sitting untouched in front of him as they patiently awaited their waitress, "Your dad sure picked an odd time to run for office, what with Robotnik and all…"

"It wasn't even completely his choice," she said, chin in one hand, "The humans that are his advisors now approached him with the idea after the previous mayor announced his retirement. Honestly, I could never quite figure out how they talked him into it."

"Dunno- even stranger that they'd pick a humanoid."

"I know…sometime I wonder if they just wanted a scapegoat – someone to take the heat for all this shit and use as an example why we should leave running the country to them…" she frowned, then caught his eye and blushed, "I'm sorry, this isn't exactly standard first-date conversation, is it?"

"Well, political intrigue isn't in my usual range of topics, but it's better than most shoptalk," he chuckled, motioning lazily with one hand for one of his waitress acquaintances to come over.

The woman, 'Lynette' by her name tag, strolled over casually. "Heya hon, good to see ya back. And who's this pretty little thing, hmm?"

"This is my date, Sally," he said as means of introduction, both his arms draped over the back of his chair, his feet tipping his seat incautiously back on two legs, "How's business, Lyn?"

"Not bad for as far out in the sticks as we are," she said, "What can I start you kids off with?"

"Two chili dogs with fries and a large of whatever soda's got the most caffeine," Sonic responded automatically, handing her back his unused menu.

"The usual, got it," she nodded, "And you, sweetie?"

"Oh, er…" Sally stammered, giving her menu another quick skim, "I'll have the same, actually, only I'll have a salad instead of fries."

"Coming right up."

"Wow, I've finally found one," Sonic said, looking across the table at her, impressed.

"One what?"

"A girl who doesn't mind eating," he explained, "Technically _I_ should watch what I eat, bein' on track team an' all, but I never gain an ounce with my metabolism," Sonic sighed, glancing down at his exceedingly thin form, "And then there's the running…"

Blushing, but with a hint of pride in her smile, she told him, "This is the first chance I've gotten to in a while. I'm just glad you don't mind."

"Hey, it's fine by me," he assured her, "Having a good metabolism is like life: gotta enjoy it while it lasts."

"Not a bad motto to live by," she nodded.

"I like to think so," he grinned.

"If we had ordered as soon as we got here, we could've drank to it," she added.

"Damn."

* * *

_'Goddamn, all these things look exactly alike!'_ Knuckles growled, narrowly resisting the urge to yank on his dreadlocks in frustration as he wandered around the women's underwear section aimlessly, treading carefully to avoid stepping on any of the garments strewn about the floor by customers simply too inconsiderate and thoughtless to be bothered to clean up after themselves. His mood had deteriorated rapidly over the last hour and a half, from merely surly to downright livid.

It started with the fact that his well-intentioned but mildly irritating human, teenage, female coworkers kept stopping over for a quick giggle, or to offer him some useless bit of advice, but either way it ended with him getting his head-fur or dreads ruffled. Maybe it was that phone-call about the push-up bras that had pushed him to the edge of his patience, but it could have just as easily been the patrons of the store, most of whom (when resisting the urge to give him strange, condescending, or suspicious looks) insisted on asking him questions about things he didn't and never wanted to know- which lead to him having to call over one of the other girls. Which lead to said aforementioned fur problem…

To make matters worse, the 'reshop' (returned items that needed resorting onto the floor to be disgustingly resold) kept piling up. Once he had managed to finally figure out where the hell his first cart of mess belonged, a second and third had already filled up for him at the fitting room, meaning he had to go collect it. Which, again, lead back to the fur-tousling…

As he rounded another identical corner in the veritable maze of fabric, the walkie at his hip buzzed to life. "Hey Knuckles – can you head back over to the fitting room? I've gotta take my lunch before I hit the six-hour mark."

He sighed miserably, removing the portable communication device from its place on the corner of his pocket, "Yeah, sure, I'll be right there…"_'Cuz, even more than Lingerie, I totally know what the hell to do in the dressing rooms…'_

"Kay, thanks!"

Leaving his cart in the middle of the floor, Knuckles walked through the seemingly endless rows of clothing racks over to the fitting room, shaking his head and muttering grumpily to himself.

From behind a nearby display, watching cautiously as he left, Rouge the Bat let out a sigh of relief. _'Thank goodness…'_ After getting his message, she'd been hoping to catch up with him – but not here of all places! She couldn't afford to shatter his idealized image of her so soon after she'd finally gotten him to admit he shared her feelings. _'How could I have forgotten he works here?!'_ she lamented, eyes still on his retreating form, _'Idiot…'_ She shook her head and turned to depart, and escape the chance of an embarrassing encounter when something sparkly caught her eye. With a wicked grin she glanced back towards the fitting rooms. Maybe this trip wouldn't be a total loss after all…

"Okay, I'm here," the echidna announced as he reached the dressing rooms, "Have a good lunch…"

"You're the best!" the blonde behind the counter chirped, hopping up from her seat, "Be back in a half-hour. Thanks again," she said as she strode past him, running her hand along the top of his head as she went.

Knuckles growled irritably once she was out of earshot, trying to smooth out his fur with one hand as he sat down behind the counter. It wouldn't have been so bad if they all couldn't do it, but being humanoid he had most likely already met his height limitation…

"Well, aren't you popular? Wonder if I should be jealous…"

The red-furred humanoid looked up in a mixture of horror and disbelief, "R-Rouge?" he stammered, jumping up clumsily from his seat, "W-What're you doing here?"

"Shopping," she said casually, "Or maybe I just missed you," she added, leaning over the counter, "The message you left me was _very_ sweet."

He blushed furiously, trying hard not to stare too blatantly at the (perhaps unintentionally provided) excellent shot of her well-developed bosom he now had, "Just tellin' the truth, that's all…" he mumbled.

"Honestly like that deserves a little reward, I think," she said matter-of-factly, straightening up and raising both hands up, revealing a dozen different selections of lingerie in each.

His eyes widened in surprise, his mouth going completely dry in an instant, "Th-the fitting rooms are…back that way," he managed, pointing feebly behind him with one finger.

"Thank you," she said, moving slowly off in that direction, "I'm not sure about some of these, though – I may need your opinion."

Wiping away the tiniest speck of saliva from the corner of his mouth, Knuckles nodded shyly, "Kay…"

"Be back in a bit," she told him, her voice just about as sultry as she could get it (which really didn't take much effort), "Don't run off now."

"R-right," he managed, slumping back down into his seat, _'I'm at work, this just…can't be good…'_

Slipping into the nearest stall, Rouge had to cover her mouth to stifle a girlish giggle. _'Talk about spinning circumstances in your favor,'_ she thought proudly, _'Now let's see…which set to test run first…?'_

* * *

"Damn that was good," Sonic sighed contentedly, pushing his somewhat messy (albeit empty) plate slightly forward, then he stretched his arms stiffly over his head, "How's yer rabbit food?"

"Not bad," Sally said wryly, "Though any nutritional value it may have had at one time is now drowned in dressing."

"But you have to drown it - lettuce has no taste…" he said in mock-seriousness, lifting his 'Mountain Dew' up to his lips to take a sip.

"Now _that_ we can drink to," she grinned, raising her own glass towards him.

He paused in mid-sip, swallowed quickly, then leaned forward to clink the edge of his glass against hers, "Sounds good to me."

Setting her glass down again, she sat back, sighing contentedly as she watched him chug down the rest of his drink.

"See somethin' ya like?" he asked cheekily, setting his empty cup back down.

Blushing, she straightened up. "N-no, I mean, well yeah, but…"

Sonic smiled, both elbows resting on the table, his chin held in his hands, "So…you gonna pick at that all night, or are you ready to hit the town?"  
Still considerably flustered, she took a last look at her salad before pushing it towards the middle of the table. "I'm ready. Lead the way."

He stood up eagerly (a twenty dollar bill already nestled under the check, which was partially obscured by the napkin holder), crossing to her side of the table and offering her his hand, "Let's go, Madam Prez."

Rolling her eyes, she took it, and then linked her arm with his. "Where to?"

"Well, we'll see where the winds take us, okay?" He grinned, leading her over to the fence surrounding the edge of the wooden balcony. Below them was a rather steep drop down to the beach. Sonic's eyes lit up in excitement as the cool sea air whipped around him. He swept the chipmunk off her feet, hopping up onto the railing, "Let's go!" Without a second thought, he leapt from the creaky edging.

Sally let out a cry that started as his name and ended in more of a high-pitched shriek as they fell and echoed across the beach, bringing the restaurant staff out in a hurry.

"There he goes again…"

"Hope he doesn't scare the poor girl off, pulling stunts like that."

With his legs moving at super-speed, the hedgehog managed to easily create enough wind resistance beneath him to break his fall. The instant he touched down on the sand they were off again, roaring towards the city, "Whoo!" he cried jubilantly, glancing down at her, his face lit-up like that of a child on Christmas day when presented with the year's haul, "Now _that's_ what I call livin'!"

"Just be sure you don't _kill_ us, okay??" she told him, her voice stern in order to be heard over the wind, but smiling none the less.

"Aww you worry too much- Knux used to do that too, but he's learned by now," he called back, weaving in and out of the bustling inner Oceanopolis traffic as if the vehicles were standing still.

"What are you saying?" she asked, flinching as they passed between two semis heading in opposite directions, "That I should just trust you?"

"That's entirely up to you," he sidestepped up onto the concrete sidewalk, screeching to a halt in front of the entrance to an expansive, city-exclusive outdoor shopping mall, "But I hope you will," he finished quietly, gently lowering her back onto her own two feet,_'Dammit, she's taller than I am…'_

She eyed him carefully. _'He actually really handsome when he's sincere…'_"Well, we're still alive so far," she conceded, "So I guess you're off to a good start."

He took her hand lightly in his, "C'mon, let's do some window shopping- normal speeds only, I promise."

"Sounds good to me," she nodded, interlacing her fingers with his.

* * *

"You know, I'm really on the fence about this set," Rouge said, turning before the triple mirrors outside the stalls, "Do you think it rides up too much?"

Knuckles could only stare at the many different angles of Rouge, now clad in what could only politely be described as _very_ risqué lingerie, "S-seems fine to me…" he whispered, simply awestruck by such a display of feminine beauty.

She smirked. "It _is_ a good color for me, and the fabric is comfortable. You sure it looks alright from the back?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.

He nodded timidly, staring down at her shapely, nearly bare, bottom. It was hard to keep his thoughts in gentlemanly territory when presented with such a prospect…

"That settles it then," said, nodding definitively, hands on her hips, "They go in the 'keeper' pile." She turned, then smiled at her own reflection. "I don't why, but everything always looks so much sexier in heels, don't you think?" she asked, raising one stiletto-clad foot up in a magazine-esque pose.

"Definitely…" he mumbled, crossing one leg conspicuously over the other to hide the most obvious physical betrayal of his attraction to her, _'Dammit I wanna ride that so bad- ahg, fuck, stop it, Knuckles, you know better than to think that way! You're not an animal…'_

"Boy, I don't think there's anything here I'm _not_ taking home with me," she said with a laugh, leaning into the stall she'd been using, "You're a very good salesman," she said, flashing him a grin before ducking back inside to change.

"Haha, um, thanks," he smiled weakly, breathing a small sigh of relief, "I guess it's hard to choose just a few things when everything looks so good on you…"

"You are just _too_ sweet," she said, emerging from the stall, fully clothed once again, her arms loaded down with everything she'd tried on.

He blushed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "It's the truth, that's all."

"Well keep it coming, I'm loving it," she said, leaning over to kiss him on the nose, "Call me when you get off work, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded obediently, his mind still reeling from the sensory overload that was Rouge clad only in her underwear, an image he was quite happy to have burned in his mind- it seemed less like he was disrespecting her as a person when his thoughts remained just that (though it still seemed wrong to keep his focus solely on the physical aspect of the intriguing, intelligent, sassy bat).

"See ya later, Red," she told him, shooting him a final wink as she headed off towards the front of the store.

Knuckles slumped down slightly in his chair, "Bye…"

No sooner had she vanished from sight then the girls from the department appeared, seemingly out of thin air, each one smiling broadly. "Who was that, Knuckles??"

The blood that had just begun to recede from his cheeks returned in an instant, bringing reinforcements along with it. He straightened up quickly in his seat, "M-My…girlfriend," he explained hastily, glancing up worriedly at the plethora of young females, _'Kinda like the sound of that, actually, although might not technically be true- we haven't even really been on a date yet…'_

Automatically, they all began chattering at once.

"You have a girlfriend and didn't tell us?"

"Damn, she's hot!"

"I'm kinda jealous."

"That's so sweet!"

"She's so lucky!"

"No kidding! A figure like that _and_ him for a boyfriend!"

_'I both love and hate my life…'_ Knuckles sighed, feeling someone's hand begin to (what else?) ruffle his head fur.

* * *

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Tails…" Silver said, leaning over the fox's shoulder.

"Silver, you see that computer over there? Feel free to use it to, I dunno, stalk Amy's Facebook or something…" Miles sighed, his video game controller clutched tightly in his hands as he concentrated on the screen.

Face flushed, the white hedgehog pushed off the couch. "I'm not a stalker…" he mumbled as he slid into the desk chair in front of the computer. He didn't need to check Amy's Facebook, or MySpace page, or LiveJournal for that matter. Sonic was off on a date with another girl and he knew exactly what they'd say. And he wasn't sure he could take it…

"Sorry," Tails said, letting out a short groan as his character died yet again. He pressed the 'start' button to pause the game, turning to face the white-furred hedgehog, "I didn't mean it like that; I'm just frustrated at this stupid thing, that's all…" he jerked a thumb back at the screen, "Why don't you just try asking her out sometime?"

"I _have_," he insisted, swiveling around in the chair, "She just…never realizes that _that's_ what I'm doing…" he finished quietly, forefingers pressed together in front of him.

"Have the words 'would you like to go out sometime?' ever left your mouth?"

"W-w-well, no, but…"

"Here, you take this stupid thing," Tails said, tossing his wireless controller towards Silver, "It's a Friday night, I'm sure Amy's got nothing better to than hang out on AIM and update her blogs; I'll ask her for you."

"Wait _what?!"_the hedgehog cried, nearly falling out of the chair as he scrambled to catch the device.

Tails hopped over the back of the couch, glad to have free range of the house to himself for once. His parents were out for the night- it was sadly ironic that their son, the younger, supposedly more vibrant, energetic one, was at home playing video games and hanging out with a friend on a Friday night while his parents (essentially ancient by teenage standards!) were out enjoying themselves. He walked over to the computer seat, "Don't worry, I don't mind."

"Yeah but…" Silver's mind was racing, scrambling for a reason to avoid the almost imminent, humiliating, rejection, "Wha…what're you gonna say, exactly…?"

"Nothing much, just that it might be time to move beyond Sonic and you'd like a crack at 'er."

If it were possible, the crystal white hedgehog would've paled. Instead, he went a bit blue in the face. "A…a 'crack' at her…?" he echoed hollowly.

Settling into the seat comfortably, Tails double-clicked the instant messaging icon, quickly booting up the program, "Let's see here…ah, there she is- told ya," the two-tailed fox-humanoid smirked, "So let's say 'hello'…"

* * *

Curled up on her bed, surrounded by tear-soaked tissues, in a T-shirt much too big for her petite frame, Amy Rose sniffed feebly, fingers working across her laptop keyboard. Maybe it was silly pouring out her soul to the vast emptiness that was the Internet, but it was the only outlet she had, and it _did_ help a little, getting her feelings into words.

Mid paragraph, she was interrupted by the familiar square pop-up of a new instant message and she paused. _'Tails…wonder what he wants?'_

**TwotailsMPR:**hey there

**GhostofaRose:**hi

**TwotailsMPR:**sup?

**GhostofaRose:**nm – u?

**TwotailsMPR:**nm. hangin' out w/silver, playin' some video games. ::has very little life::

**GhostofaRose:** lol

**GhostofaRose:**s'all good – tell Silver 'hi' for me

**TwotailsMPR:** can do. guess no babysitting tonight then? (silver's says 'hi')

**GhostofaRose:**nope, lucked out tonight – at least, it would've been lucky if I _ever_ had plans for the weekend ::also has very little life::

**TwotailsMPR:** wanna come chill? my rents are out for the night

**GhostofaRose:**sure - why not? I could use some company. gimme a bit to get my things together and I'll be over in a half-hour or so

**TwotailsMPR:**awesome! see ya soon!

**GhostofaRose:**yep! later!

**GhostofaRose has signed off.**

She shut the laptop and set it aside, then slid off the bed. Half an hour. That gave her 20 minutes to figure out what to wear, and then ten to cross the few blocks between their houses. No sweat.

* * *

"There, see? Now you can actually ask her yourself," Tails said proudly, leaning back in his chair.

"She's coming over_here_!?" Silver asked in a tone of voice somewhere between terror and panic, no longer looking at the screen (where a bullet had just been put through the back of his character's head- oddly, the hedgehog empathized…).

"Why do you make it sound like a bad thing?" the fox asked, one eyebrow raised, "Didn't you want to see her?"

"W-Well, yeah, of course!" Silver stammered, dropping the controller down onto the couch, "I just thought I'd have a little more time to prepare, that's all…"

"Didn't realize it took gearing up for," the younger humanoid said, bemused, "I guess we should see if my dad's got any clean shirts that'll fit you, though. You got pizza sauce on yours."

"Aw, sonofa- you see! This, _this_ is the kinda shit that happens to me!"

* * *

"Do you think if we lived here, this sort of place would lose its appeal?" Sally wondered aloud between licks of her soft-serve ice cream cone as she and Sonic sat on a bench along the outdoor mall's main street.

"Probably," he shrugged, dabbing at his lips with a napkin, "But I think it'd be the same no matter where you live…"

"So the only way to keep the novelty from wearing off would be to keep changing locations before it got the chance," she said, eyes on the scores of passersby.

"That's why I take a cruise around the country most nights," he stated, "Always something new to see, some place new to visit…"

"How much do you think you've seen?" she asked, turning towards him curiously.

"It's a pretty big country," he said evasively, "But enough to know there's a lotta life beyond our crime-ridden city."

"You're lucky," she said airily, "I wish I could see more of it…"

"The night's still young, Princess," he smiled. He stood up, popped the last remainder of his ice cream cone into his mouth, the offered her his hand, "You can have free reign of life as long as you're with me; wanna go see what else Oceanopolis has in store for us?"

Smiling, she polished off her own dessert and took his hand. "Yeah, I do."

"Okay, I think the next place should be open by now."

* * *

"I don't _care_ that the ceremony is tomorrow, Alicia, I need you on the next plane now!" Maximillian Acorn cried, pacing about his office, cordless phone in one hand, "You're daughter is out of control!"

"_My _daughter?" the feminine, somewhat-affronted voice on the other end of the line crackled through (reception between countries could get fuzzy, even in this day and age of modern technology), "Let me explain something about biology to you, bucko…"

The male let out an aggravated sigh, "Alright, alright – _our_ daughter."

"Better," Alicia remarked. She was sitting in her hotel room with only the nightstand lamp on, leaning against the pillows as she worked on typing up her initial notes, one ankle crossed over the other. She adjusted her reading glasses to get a better view of her laptop screen, the cell phone headset saving her the trouble of having to hang on to a phone, "What's the problem this time, Max?"

"…I can't find her."

"…Can't find her?? Max, I know it's a big house, but come on…"

"No, no, that's not what I mean," he groaned, running a hand tiredly through his head-fur, "She had a date tonight with some punk that she neglected to tell me about, so I upped her security and the minute she was out the door, the damn spikehead just took off like a shot! Must be one'a those freaks with 'abilities'; anyways, I don't know where she is- she's not even in the city!"

"You mean she's out? Right now? With a boy?" she asked, ears perked up.

"Dear, why do you sound excited about this? Did you miss the part where she abandoned her detail and left for parts unknown with someone you've never met? Was that not clear?"

"Max, you're overreacting," she said, leaning back against the multitude of pillows the hotel staff had seen fit to provide her with, "Sally's a smart girl, she wouldn't just run off with someone she didn't trust. And I'm sure she has her cell phone on her, right? Didn't you put some sort of crazy tracking device in that thing before we gave it to her?"

"Yes- she's all the way on the other side of the country in Oceanopolis!"

"Wow…the boy really _does_ have a gift doesn't he?"

"I don't like him."

"You're her father – she could bring home the Prince of Allistar and you wouldn't like him."

"I've met the Prince of Allistar- he's a very well-adjusted, _polite_ young man," Max grumbled, sitting down at his desk and opening up his laptop, "I'm emailing you this, this hedgehog's transcripts and disciplinary records from school- he's trouble, I tell you…"

"Alright, I'll look it over on the plane ride back," she said, pulling her e-mail server up, "You really want me to catch a redeye? I can, if you really need me, but my editor's not gonna be happy."

"Tell him that if he has a problem he can get on the damn phone and complain to the Mayor of Mobotropolis," Maximillian stated importantly.

She let out a giggle, "You're awfully sexy when you're self-important, honey."

His ego sufficiently punctured by this one, simple, jab-in-a-compliment, Max slumped down in his seat, flustered, "Very funny, dear…"

"I'm booking a flight now," she told him, "Actually, if I catch the earliest one, I should be back by late tomorrow morning."

"Excellent- that'll give you time to sleep a bit, freshen up, and join me and Sally for the party Saturday night."

"Party? Oh no, not that dreadful 'Night of a Thousand Stuffed Shirts' you're hosting…" she moaned, suddenly remembering why it was she'd agreed to fly half-way around the world to report on a 15 year-old's coronation.

"It's going to be a _gala_ event in honor of the contributors to my last campaign," Max replied stiffly, standing up again to allow him to pace around the room, "And hopefully encourage them to start making re-election donations. And it is _not_ the night of whatever you just said," he snorted.

"Promise me there'll be booze," she sighed, arms splayed out across the much-too-large-for-one-being bed.

"Only if you promise to be a happy drunk after the party's over," he grinned, glancing over at the mostly closed door to the room in a semi-paranoid effort to check for eavesdroppers.

"As long as you provide me the means, I'll be as happy _and _drunk as I was the night you dragged me into our hotel room after our wedding reception."

He blushed slightly, unable to help but smile, "I'm twenty-five years older than I was then- I'm not sure my back could take you being _that_ wild, but I'll do my best."

"You always do," she said, "That's what I love most about you."

"The fact that my exuding effort impresses you most is worrisome, actually…"

She laughed, "You know what I mean. There are other things I love about you, too – many, many things…"

"Good. Care to list them, one by one with details, right now?"

She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. With the flight she'd just booked she only had a few hours to sleep before she'd be on her way back to her homeland. Then again, who needed sleep when you had a husband at his wits end worrying about a teenage daughter out on her first date in ages? "Certainly…let me see…I think I'll start with your eyes – I've always loved them. The kids got theirs from you, you know."

"Thankfully that's pretty much all they got of mine- you've always been the beauty…and the brains…and until recently the money too…" he laughed, glad for any distraction from his current worries.

"Oh, you give yourself too little credit, Max," she assured him, "Trust me, I didn't marry you just to save myself the hassle of artificial insemination."

"It certainly wasn't for the glory of being the wife of a Mobotropolis public defender," he retorted, "But I'm not complaining- I married up."

She laughed again, "Suppose I can't deny that without insulting myself, so I'll let you have that one."

"Good. Now, you were saying…?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Knock knock, anybody home?" Amy called out, stepping inside the front hall of the Prower residence (the front door or which had been conveniently unlocked).

"Hey Amy, we're in the living room, c'mon in!" Tails called over his shoulder, his tongue wetting the corner of his mouth in concentration as he engaged in a rousing game of old-school 'Punch Out!!' with Silver.

"Oh wow, I haven't seen that game in years," she said as she dropped her book bag on the floor before climbing up onto the couch, "What made you pull out the old system?"

"Life or Death 4 had a little too much of me dying in it," the two-tailed fox grumbled, "There's a box of pizza in the kitchen if you want some- I'm pretty sure we didn't eat it all…"

"Nah, I'm okay," she shook her head, and then settled back into the well-worn sofa cushions, "Thanks for the invite, by the way. I had no idea how badly I needed to get out of the house until I was actually out."

"Sometimes a change of atmosphere can help you get your mind off the day's fresh serving of crap," Silver (now clad in a white, button-down, short-sleeve shirt about a size too large for him) chuckled nervously, watching as his character struggled to get back up before the count finished.

"I sure could use it," she said quietly, one knee drawn up to her chest.

"Bad day?" Tails inquired casually, already well-aware of the answer.

"That's a nice way of putting it," she said, smiling just slightly.

"Wanna take it out on Glass Joe over here?" he asked slyly, jerking a thumb over at Silver.

"Huh?" the white hedgehog's head snapped up quickly. _'He only means in the game, right?? I mean, he's _seen_ Amy angry – and as much as I'd love to be an outlet for her frustrations, I'd also like to live through the night!'_

Amy let out a small titter of a laugh, "Sure, why not? Haven't played in a while, but I'll take a crack at it."

"Here, go wild," Tails tossed her the controller, "I'm gonna go get another slice of pizza."

"Kay," she nodded, Silver's sudden panic-struck expression as the fox exited the room going unnoticed.

_'Oh shit, what do I do? What do I say?'_ Silver cleared his throat nervously, his finger hovering over the 'start' key, waiting until she was ready to un-pause the game, "So, um…Sonic dating again got you down?"_'…Of all the things to lead off with, _that_ was the best I had? Why not just come out with 'So, I ran over your mom with a forklift today.' I'm going to die a lonely, lonely hedgehog…'_

She flushed, then flicked the game into motion, wanting to have something to keep her eyes on while she spoke. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," she said, her voice as even as she could force it, "It's been nearly two weeks since the last one."

Surprised at the sudden revival of the onscreen fight, it was all Silver could do to depress the block key on his controller, "It doesn't usually take him that long even," the white-furred hedgehog agreed.

"It's not as if there was a reason for a 'respectful waiting period'," she griped, "More like he got distracted by something else for a while then realized, 'Hey wait – I haven't made an ass out of myself making out in the hallways recently, why is that?'"

"Why do you let it get to you so much?" Silver asked quietly, glancing over at the pink-furred object of his affections.

"I…I…I don't even know anymore," she sighed, head hung, "It's just…a gut reaction I can't shake…"

"How long have you had this crush on Sonic anyway?" Silver asked, his tone indifferent in an effort to mask his growing sense of disappointment.

She blushed. "Too long. If I had to pinpoint a particular moment in time, it'd have to be the first day of middle school…"

* * *

_The first day at a new school was rarely enjoyable, but Amy, all of 12, had remained optimistic as it began. After all it was middle school! She was no longer a 'kid' after this! She was a _pre-teen_! Surely things were going to liven up now that she was so close to being grown. _

_But nothing made clearer the fact of how much growing you still had to than being surrounded by peers older than you. Actual teenagers seemed so much more _mature_ and they towered around her through the halls all day long, laughing and talking amongst themselves, commenting on how the 'new batch' seemed to get smaller every year. And the boys were bad enough, but the girls! They couldn't even be considered 'girls' anymore! The females she found herself surrounded by were practically women, allowed to wear make-up and have their ears pierced and wear bras! She'd seen more bra straps peeking out from under tank tops that she could count. She'd walked with her books clutched to her painfully flat chest all day long._

_She paused at the street corner, waiting nervously for the electronic 'walk/don't walk' sign to give her the go-ahead to cross the busy highway. Bus transportation was provided strictly for humans under federal law (the wording was fancier, but the rules basically boiled down to 'humanoids are less important, they can walk', as her father had explained to her), so that meant having to learn a new, longer route to walk back and forth from home to school. The middle school was further away from her house than the elementary school had been, which wouldn't have been so bad if she was absolutely sure she knew her way. As it stood now, even in the afternoon sun the city sidewalks seemed just a little bit more unfriendly…_

_"Gang way!"_

_"Comin' through!"_

_A gang of human upperclassman were ripping their way through the crowd of homeward bound students on skateboards, laughing loudly as they went._

_"Move it or lose it, crawlers!"_

_Scratch that, _very_ unfriendly… '_Jerks…_'Amy sniffed indignantly, turning back to see who was causing all the commotion. Unfortunately, the group of budding, aggressive racists had approached more quickly than she anticipated, slicing through the crowd towards the curb where she stood. As the mass of varied humanoids struggled frantically to get out of the way, one of the ruffians took the corner too fast. Realizing this, the young man simply reached down and pushed off the nearest available solid object, Amy, to successfully follow his group around the curve. Just like that, the pink-furred hedgehog had overbalanced and was falling down into the deafening roar of oncoming traffic._

_ She barely had time to register the SUV hurtling towards her when there was a rush of wind and she was seeing the cars fall away far below her. "Wha…?" Suddenly conscious of arms around her, she looked up only to find herself staring up at the determined face of a blue, male hedgehog._

_"Don't worry," he said, as the world around them moved in slow motion, "I've got ya." '_That was close…_' Sonic let out a tiny, silent sigh of relief as he kicked off of the nearest building, aiming for the sidewalk on the far side of the street. If he had glanced over at the commotion just a second later (in-between laments to Knux over the loss of yet another fine, entirely too short summer vacation) this poor girl would've just been an anonymous stain on the pavement…_

_"O-okay…" she breathed. _'Wow…who _is_ this guy?'

_He touched down deftly on the sidewalk a brief moment later. "You alright?"_

"_I…yeah," she nodded, "You just…saved my life…" she finished, staring up at him in awe._

"_Aw, it was nothin'," Sonic smiled, carefully lowering the freshman back down to the ground, "We hedgehogs gotta look out for each other, right?" He glanced over his shoulder for a second back at the traffic, then shrugged, _'Wonder where that slowpoke echidna went…?' _He extended a gloved hand to the pre-teen, "I'm Sonic, by the way."_

"_Uh, I'm Amy," she stammered, accepting it, "Really, I…I mean…__**thank you **__so much."_

_"Sonic!!" At that moment, Knuckles came barreling across the street, as the traffic light had changed. "What the heck? I turn my head for two seconds and you're gone!"_

_"One'a those assholes on the skateboards pushed her into traffic while your head was turned," Sonic called back, straightening up to his full height, gesturing towards Amy with one thumb._

_"They __**WHAT?!**__" the echidna cried, his voice cracking, "Which one was it??" he demanded, whipping around, "I swear, they shouldn't be able to get away with this crap!"_

_Amy let out a terrified squeak, too overwhelmed by the past minute's events to answer such a brusque inquiry._

_"I didn't see," Sonic responded quickly to cover for her, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Knuckles, this is Amy."_

_"Huh? O-oh, right," the red-furred thirteen-year-old stuttered, clearing his throat sheepishly before extending his hand in greeting, "I'm glad you're alright."_

_"H-Hi…" Amy managed, shaking his hand as well._

_"D'you want us to walk home with you from here?" Sonic asked concernedly._

_"Could you?" she asked shyly._

_"Sure, that's no problem," he nodded kindly, "C'mon Knux, we're takin' a detour today."_

_"Right."_

_"Thank you," she said, clutching his arm, eyes shining._

_"No sweat, kid," he grinned, placing his free hand in his pocket as he followed her slow, cautious lead._

* * *

"Hard to believe that was five years ago," Amy said, the game abandoned, the controller sitting, unattended in her lap.

_'He saved her_life_!?!? I can't compete with that!'_ "Wow, I never knew that..." Silver muttered earnestly, staring down at his controller dejectedly as he paused the game again.

"Yeah…" she let out a little sigh, "It's not the kind of first meeting you forget very easily."

"No, I wouldn't think so," he agreed, "Your parents must love Sonic…"

"Actually, they can't stand him," she said, letting out a small laugh, "That one incident is the only reason they tolerate him at all."

_'Maybe there's some hope for me yet,'_ Silver smirked faintly, "He can take some getting used to," he nodded. The white-furred hedgehog paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully, "So, um, while you wait for him to…er, come to his senses, I guess, what d'you tell all your other suitors?"

She laughed harder at that. "What 'suitors'? I don't know what you're thinking, but I've never been all that popular with boys…boys want 'hot', not 'cute'."

"…I think you're hot…" he mumbled, his tone almost inaudible.

"Hmm?"

"I-" Silver paused, his heart attempting to choke him by catching in his throat, anxiety filling his every pore, "I said 'I think…you're hot…'"

She smiled and nudged him playfully. "You're sweet, Silver. Thanks."

_'Oh God, that's the 'friend' response…Fuck, what do I do now?'_ Silver moaned inwardly, but smiled falsely on the surface, "Hey, what're friends for, right?"

"You're the best," she said, cuddling up beside him, "You really are."

Silver let out the tiniest of self-pitying whimpers as he wrapped an arm around the young woman, "Heh…thanks…"

From where he was leaning against the living room doorframe, Tails shook his head._'Man, he _sucks_ at this…'_

* * *

"This is probably a little closer to where you thought I'd take you in the first place, right?"

"Something like it," Sally nodded, her back pressed up against the hedgehog's chest as they swayed to the heavy, pulsating beat that resounded through the club.

Sonic smiled, the numerous, carefully positioned lights changing from one deep hue to another (discoloring his fur hypnotically) in beat with the song as the lead vocalist crooned softly, "_Youuuuuuuuu…are my an-gel. Come from way above…"_

"It's not bad though," she continued, working to keep her voice steady as his hands slid from her hips to the edge of her chest and back again slowly, repeatedly, "Different, but not bad…"

_'Certainly is…'_ He thought curiously as his hands gently explored the least invasive portion of her body accessible to him, his motions in sync with the beat of the song. Unlike most of his previous conquests, she had a very natural air to her beauty (which, as an aspiring aesthete of the feminine form, he could recognize as such), "Different doesn't necessarily mean bad, just that it might take a little getting used to…"

"_Her eyes…She's on the dark siiiiiide…Neutraliiiiiize…every man in sight…"_

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, her own hands on his arms as she contemplated traveling further. It seemed only fair, though given her current position, the only other place to go would be his thighs… _"Well, why not? The regulars are sure doing a lot worse.'_ Nervously, she let her hands move slowly downwards

Sonic blinked once, taken aback by her sudden movement (perhaps she wasn't quite as timid as he'd first imagined), but pleased nonetheless. The two danced slowly on, lost, like the rest of the massive, darkness-shrouded crowd, in the beauty of the music and the restrained, temptation-laden mood.

"_Love you, love you, love you, love you, love you…"_

* * *

"What the hell are we watching?" Shadow asked boredly, slumped against the living room sofa, the blue glow of the television the room's only illumination.

"Beats me," Maria shrugged, her posture equally poor as she sat beside him.

"What is this, the fuckin' CW?" he asked disgustedly, still unmoving, "Change the channel."

"I don't have the remote," she said, "You change it."

"Where's the remote?"

She glanced around briefly before sighing heavily, "On top of the TV."

"So go get it."

"I sat down first," she said, "You go get it."

"But you were the one who put this crap on in the first place…"

"But you're the one who wants it changed."

Shadow growled low in his throat, then glanced over at the stairs, "You think he's asleep yet?"

"I dunno, is the light off?"

"The hall-light is anyway."

She glanced at her watch, "Well, it's past midnight. He's probably asleep."

"Good," Shadow stood up, heading for the kitchen, "I'm gettin' a beer. Change the channel and I might bring snacks back with me."

She sat up, letting out an indignant squeak, but rising to retrieve the remote nonetheless, "You know I don't like you drinking that stuff…"

"It's a Friday night, gimme a break," he grumbled, rummaging through the refrigerator and pulling out several dark-brown, translucent bottles, "What d'you want from over here?"

"A Cherry Coke, if there's any left," she replied, settling back down, remote now in hand, "And the Cheetos."

"Comin' up," he affirmed, digging back into the fridge, "Get the trays out, would you?"

"Can do," she answered, stretching out over the side of the couch to pull the metal tables from their stand, setting one rickety, rusty tray up precariously on the carpet and then moving on to its twin.

He returned a moment later, a red-blue aluminum can and an obnoxious-orange colored bag held in one hand, while its twin clutched the previously collected beer bottles, "Go wild," he smirked, setting her items down.

"It's Friday night – what other way is there to go?" she asked with a grin, snapping the can open.

"For us? Dunno…" he shrugged, sitting two of the bottles down on his tray, then flumping down next to her unceremoniously.

She laughed, then tossed him the remote, "Here – find something better."

He popped the cap off of his alcoholic beverage, taking a short swig as he began to flip through the channels, "Hey," his eyes lit up mischievously as he ceased scrolling, "They forgot to scramble 'Playfur'- nice…"

Maria nearly spit her first sip of cola all over her lap. "Oh ew!" she choked, as on the screen, a pair of cat humanoids got back to their ancestral roots, "Turn that off!"

"What?" he asked innocently, watching his adoptive sibling cringe, "This doesn't make you _uncomfortable_, does it?"

"Yes!" she cried, one hand in front of her eyes, face incredibly red.

"Fine," he sighed, flipping the station once more, "Prude…"

"I…I'm not…" she protested, but the conviction in her denial was nowhere to be found.

"Sure, and I'm six feet tall," Shadow snorted, pausing momentarily on a particularly gruesome match of Ultimate Fighting.

Her embarrassed groan faded off as she turned towards the television again. "Aww, come on, Shadow – first porn and now this? Isn't there something only_somewhat_ offensive on?"

He merely stared at the screen, her words washing over him as mere white noise, his eyes alight with unconscious interest as the two humans tore each other apart, blood and sweat droplets littering the mat where the combatants stood.

"Shadow, please."

The black-furred hedgehog blinked suddenly, jerking his head over towards his sister, "…Huh?"

The tint of her face had gone from red to blue and she was edging further back into the couch unconsciously. "Can we change it? Please?"

"Oh, yeah, sure- why didn't you say something?" he asked indignantly, switching the channel yet again (24-hour History- ugh…).

"I did…" she said, looking at him warily, "You just didn't hear me."

He raised an eye-ridge at her skeptically, but decided not to pursue the matter, instead merely lifting the open bottle in his hand to his lips again, "Whatever."

"Try Comedy Central," she said, adjusting her position, "They usually have standup all night long on Fridays – that should be raunchy enough for you, without all the unnecessary visual aids."

"Sure- that's 20, right?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded.

Shadow adjusted the station accordingly, then sat back as the television displayed a man standing on a stage, pacing back and forth with a microphone in his hand, ranting as such: "_I don't like that- I don't like where _juice_ wears_ tights_! That's a horrible combination: a bowl of juice, wearing tights!"_

Maria let out a giggle and settled back comfortably, grabbing her snacks from the TV tray. This was certainly more preferable.

"Does this adequately satisfy your girly-ness?" Shadow asked mockingly, swallowing another gulp of beer.

"I'm not girly!' she cried, shoving him lightly.

He let out a short laugh, pushing her back gently, "Excuse me, I meant 'stereotypically feminine'."

"Shut up!" Smiling in spite of herself, she shoved him again.

"God, what else am I supposed to think? You fight like a girl too!" he chuckled, pretending not to notice her show of physical force against him, polishing off his beverage.

"I said shut up!" She pushed against him harder.

Grinning, his eyes focused on the TV, he shoved her back, a bit harder than he had meant to.

Unprepared for the force of the blow, she was knocked roughly to one side, losing her balance and tumbling off the edge of the couch very ungracefully. "Oof! Hey!"

In an instant he had dropped his empty bottle onto the couch. Panicked, he crawled over the cushions to near where she had fallen, "Are you okay? Jeezus, I'm sorry…"

"Yeah, nothing too important hurt, just my pride," she said, massaging her rug-burned forearms as she sat back up, "Sometimes I forget how strong you are…"

"I do too…" he replied softly, his throat (despite being wetted so recently) suddenly quite dry and constrained, "Sorry."

"It's alright," she said, climbing back up onto the sofa, "I know you didn't mean it." Reaching over him, she plucked one of his unopened bottles from it's place and sat back, pressing the cold, wet glass to her red, raw skin, one arm at a time. "Least these things are good for something," she added with a smile.

"They're good for more than being ice packs…" he retorted, taking the other and holding it against her free arm.

"You say that now, but guess who'll be holding your quills back while you throw it all up in a few hours," she chided.

"I will _not_! I've only had one; I can handle my alcohol just fine!" he cried indignantly, taking his bottle away quickly and pressing it against the back of her exposed neck.

She let out a startled yelp and jerked away. "Cut that out! And yeah right!"

Frowning, he drew the bottle back in closer to himself, popping the top off with a thumb, "Bullshit- I'll show you!" he declared, raising the bottle to his lips. Without a second's hesitation he began to chug the bottle's contents.

"You're lucky that's just beer," she told him, setting the other bottle back down, both arms sufficiently numb, "I'd hate to see what stronger liquor does to you."

Upstairs, the hall light switched on, much to Shadow's dismay. From the top of the steps, Doctor Kintobor's haggard, deep voice boomed, "Would you two keep it down? I can hear the damn TV from up here! Some of us who aren't irresponsible, energy-filled teenagers are trying to sleep, you know!"

"Sorry, Papa!" Maria called, head ducked between her shoulders as she grabbed the remote and lowered the volume.

The elderly man sighed, rubbing his tired eyes, _'Damn kids…'_

Shadow set his bottle back down on the metal tray with a 'clank!' then proceeded to pick up the third and final container and repeat the process he'd done with the second.

Maria merely shook her head as she watched him.

Heading swimming, the humanoid placed the bottle back on the tray (much more carefully this time), _'Good thing I'm sitting down…'_ he thought, one hand resting on his T-shirt covered, suddenly-uneasy stomach. Was it just the booze, or was the comedian on stage really talking about 'The Price is Right'?

"How ya feeling?" she asked, watching him carefully.

"I'm fine, why?" he shot back, hoping to mask the truth with indignation.

"I was just wondering," she shrugged, "Do you think you could check the window? It's kinda cold in here and you know I'm not strong enough to get it closed when it sticks."

Shadow scowled over at her, _'Dammit, she knows I hate when she pulls this shit…'_ "I'm watchin' the show," he replied, gesturing towards the television with his free hand.

"Oh come on, please?" she said, hugging herself for emphasis, "It'll only take a second."

He glared daggers at his sister for a moment, then grudgingly pushed himself up off of the couch. He swayed in place for a moment, hoping the pounding in his head would subside long enough so he could navigate the erratic motions of the floor beneath him, _'Fuck…' _"It's not that bad in here, ya know."

She said nothing, merely kept her pleading, wide eyes on him.

With a frustrated growl (damn that face!), Shadow stepped carefully forward. The lurching stagger was nearly enough to throw off what Maria preferred to call his 'delicate system', but he kept at it, proceeding cautiously towards the source of the chilly October night air (he had to go slow, because his slowed reflexes wouldn't give him much time to dodge obstacles when they began to multiply in front of him).

"You sure you're alright?" she asked, leaning forward on the edge of the sofa, ready to spring up and steady him if need be.

"I told you, I'm fine," he snarled, the alcohol shortening his already paper-thin temper. He finally reached the window, _'Now…which one is it?'_

She bit her bottom lip, keeping quiet. She had to wait for him to ask for it before offering help, otherwise he might end up lashing out again without meaning to. She'd gotten a fair share of bruises learning that the hard way.

"So…the window, huh?"

"Yeah, could you shut it?"

"…Which one?"

She choked back a giggle, "There's only one."

"I know that…" he shifted uncomfortably, growing increasingly frustrated, "But…"

"What…?" she asked gently, standing up and approaching him cautiously.

"You know damn well_what_," he spat angrily, his hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides, "I'm not a child, I'm not going to beg…"

Silently, she came up beside him, placing her hands over his. Slowly, she guided them to the ledge of the open window.

With a quick jerk of his wrists, the hedgehog humanoid pushed the window closed, "Thanks…" he mumbled quietly, "I guess you were right- as always," he smirked guiltily.

"No biggie," she shrugged, "C'mon, let's get you back to the couch and then I'll get some water."

"Yeah…okay…"

* * *

"You know, for as little as we moved around on that dance floor, I feel like I got a good work out," Sally said, high-heels in one hand as the pair strolled along the water's edge beneath the lighthouse.

Sonic smiled, his hands resting in his pockets, "Certainly can be, once you get into it," he agreed, watching as the gentle waves rolled in, "I know it probably wasn't what you were used to, but…didja have a good time, at least?"

"I did," she nodded, brushing a few loose strands of hair from her face, "You know what you're doing, that's for sure…"

"Never figured there was more than attitude and a pension for detentions behind this handsome face?" he asked jokingly, cocking an eye-ridge at the mayor's daughter.

She blushed, "It wasn't exactly something I'd ever given a lot of thought to," she admitted, "But you've certainly surprised me tonight."

"Keep this between us, but…" Sonic paused, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly with one hand, "I was pretty surprised someone with the whole package like you would say 'yes' to a date with me…"

"Whole package?" she echoed, both puzzled and flattered.

"Well, I like to think of 'em as the '3 Bs': brains, beauty, and bitchin'."

Her face went completely scarlet and she smiled, "Wow, that's probably the most bizarre…and _nicest_ compliment I've ever gotten…"

"Just statin' the facts," he shrugged, "What time did El Stiffo want you back by?"

"With the time difference, who knows?" she said with a laugh, "We probably_should_ be heading back sometime soon, though."

"Right," he nodded, kicking at the sand a bit with the toe of his shoe, "So, do you wanna do the whole 'good-night kiss' bit here, or in front of the Mobotropolis Rockets' defensive line- er, your security crew?"

"Heh heh…yeah, I don't think they'd give us the chance," she shook her head.

"Well then," he stepped forward smoothly, wrapping one arm around her, glad that (without her high-heels) he was slightly taller than her, "Here sounds like our only option, doesn't it?" he asked softly, his nose just a few centimeters away from hers.

"I guess so," she said, voice equally hushed.

Sonic placed his hand on the small of her back, pulling her in closer to him. He dipped her downward just slightly, then leaned in and pressed his lips passionately against hers.

At seventeen, it wasn't as if she hadn't been kissed before, but the occurrences were few and far between (due to her often overloaded schedule and her own 'have-better-things-to-do' attitude), and never had she had one like this before. Her head was swimming, and without even thinking about it, her right foot began lifting up off the sand.

_'Guess Uncle Chuck was right: first impressions _do_ count for something…'_ He allowed the exchange to last a tad longer than was probably polite, but there was always something delightfully intriguing about getting the first taste of a new girl. Her response showed some inexperience, but a lot of raw potential- additionally, her lipstick was delectable…He finally pulled back, his face still quite close to hers, "Ready to go?"

She allowed herself a moment to catch her breath, than nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Okay- hang on tight," he instructed, picking her up in his arms carefully, "Next stop- Mobotropolis."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and then whispered, "If you want to take a scenic route, that'd be fine by me."

Eyes alight in eager anticipation, Sonic grinned happily, "Can do!" In an instant the lightning-fast hedgehog had taken flight, his feet barely touching the ground, _'One lap around the country should do it…'_

* * *

_'God, what a night…'_ Knuckles sighed inwardly as he departed the store through the employee exit, having clocked out at 10:49, _'If Rouge hadn't come by I – wait, Rouge…shit, I was supposed to call her!' _

He groaned, then pulled his cell phone out and flipped it open, his feet automatically putting distance between himself and the retail giant, going the general direction of home. The tiny, illuminated screen informed him that it was now 10:50, _'Dad'll probably be expecting me back by 11,'_ he thought worriedly, instinctively reaching up with his free hand to touch his mostly-healed lower lip, _'But…Rouge…'_ His thumb hovered over the number pad a moment, torn between the two obligations, his work-wearied mind struggling to make a decision.

With a small moan, he depressed the call button twice.

The device barely got to ring once before she answered. "Boy, they really work you like a dog, don't they?"

"You have no idea…" he whimpered miserably, glad to have someone to talk to, "How was your night?"

"Pretty dull after I left you," she answered, "Restocked my liquor cabinet, then realized drinking by myself seemed really pathetic the more I thought about it, so I just put it all away and I've been tidying up the house with the TV on in the background."

"Guess all your work friends were busy?"

"They were meeting up at one of the local bars, and I wasn't really in the mood for that tonight. Besides," she added with a laugh, "After you left last night I realized how dusty I'd let the place get and I couldn't have that if I expect to have you over again…and again…"

He blushed slightly, crossing from one dilapidated city street to the next, nearly tripping in an unnoticed pothole, "Hehe, right…"

"So I'm wearing one of those little numbers I bought earlier…" she said, "Wanna come over and see which one?"

_'Ohhhhhhh, goddamn son-of-a-bitch!!! I bet I know which one too…'_ He took a deep breath, fighting the nearly unbearable urge to moan aloud in self-pity, _'It's just not fair…'_ "I really…_really_ wish I could," he sighed, rubbing his temples with his free hand, "But I've got Saturday detention bright and early tomorrow and I'm not allowed to sleep through it."

"Huh, I bet I have a blue hedgehog to thank for that, don't I?" she asked, her tone losing all traces of the sultriness it held a moment before.

"You could say that, yeah," he nodded, straying closer to the streetlamps at the edge of the sidewalk in order to avoid the flickers of movement in the pitch-black alleys as he passed them.

"Wonderful. I'll be sure to do so next time I see him."

"Sorry, I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Don't worry about it," she said, "Just lemme know the next time you're free, alright?"

"Sure," he nodded enthusiastically, an idea suddenly occurring to him, "Say, tomorrow night there's-" he cut off, sighed softly, "Never mind. Listen, I gotta get home- I'll talk to you soon, alright?"

"Yeah okay. Good luck with detention."

"Thanks…See ya."

"Night."

Knuckles hung up, his eyes flickering to the illuminated time read-out, _'10:55- shit…'_ Snapping his phone closed quickly, the echidna quickened his pace as he scurried through the dimly-lit, cold city streets.

* * *

"Here we are, Princess, back home. Still alive and everything."

Sally, looking windswept but happy to be so, shot him a smirk. "Very funny."

"You should be proud- I didn't even track mud up the wall," he laughed, lowering her to the ground before taking a seat on her open windowsill (her room was on the second floor, thus it was necessary to scale the wall and avoid any unnecessary parental confrontations).

"I appreciate that," she told him, setting her purse down on her dresser and then joining him at the window again. "And I really did have a nice time tonight."

"Yeah, me too," he agreed, reaching up to brush a strand of head-fur away from her pretty eyes, "So…can I see you again?"

"I'd like that," she smiled wistfully, then her face lit up, "Oh! My dad's hosting a party here tomorrow night – would you be interested in coming?"

Sonic considered for a moment, leaning back slightly on the sill, "Will you stand between me and your dad if I do?" he asked.

"All night long if I have to," she assured him.

"Well, that's enough for me," he laughed. Two dates in a row wasn't anything unusual for the hedgehog- more often than not, when starting a new relationship, he preferred to start hot and heavy. While this was admittedly an unusual experience for him, at least the pacing was still about right- the other stuff would come later, "What time should I come over?"

"What time do you get out of detention?"

"Four-thirty," he sighed, rolling his eyes, "Maybe sooner if I can convince Liz that she has better things to do with her time than hover over me for eight hours…"

"Alright, well whenever you get off, come on over," she said, "We can just hang out until it's time to get ready."

He nodded, "Can do, Princess," Behind them, someone rapped sharply on the outside of her door. Sonic's head swiveled towards the sound automatically, his ears perking up, "I think that's my cue to hit the road…"

"I think you're right," she nodded, glancing at the door briefly. As the commotion of security guards sounded from the ground below, she leaned forward and kissed him quickly. "See you tomorrow."

He grinned childishly, offering the young woman a two-fingered salute, "Later," With that he simply let himself fall backwards out of the window.

Startled, she leaned out after him, relieved and a bit surprised (his mannerisms were something she'd have to get used to!) to see he was already gone, a streak of blue after-glow and kicked-up grass the only sign of his having been there. She smiled then pushed away from the window, crossing the room and pulling the door open. "Yes, Daddy?"

"So, you're_finally_ back, eh?" he asked, his tone (as well as the throbbing vein on his forehead and squared, wide-shouldered stance) an obvious indication, that, as Sonic had correctly predicted, Mayor Acorn was less than thrilled at the moment.

"Finally?" she asked, looking up at her father innocently, "What time is it?"

"Don't you give me that baloney; you know darn well what time it is- or did the_time-zone_ change throw you off?" he demanded, stepping inside her room, his narrowed eyes darting back and forth in a vain search for her date.

"He's gone, Daddy," she said, flipping the lights on, "See for yourself."

"Lucky him," the Mayor snorted, folding his arms across his chest, "Honestly, going halfway across the world with a total stranger- you wait until your mother gets home…"

"Mom's coming home early?"

"Yes, after she heard about your little escapade tonight," he frowned warningly, walking over to her open window and shutting it irritably, "If this was a joke, Sally, it was well executed, but seeing as you insist that it wasn't…Are you _trying_ to drive me to an early grave? I had half the city out looking for you!"

"Which is why I was_glad_ I was on the other side of the country," she said, not having meant to be so blunt, but charging forward nevertheless, "I_wanted_ the time away, _without _the security, and I was perfectly safe – Sonic took excellent care of me, as you can see," she said, arms spread in emphasis.

"Your security staff is for your own good," he countered just as brusquely, _'Dammit, she gets this, this _attitude_ from her mother!'_ "Even if you don't want to believe it, you're more than just the daughter of Alicia Acorn, Pulitzer-winner. You simply can't go around ditching your detail on a whim, it's too dangerous now."

"Dangerous? Exactly how many enemies do we have that I'm not aware of?" she asked, one hand on her hip.

"I don't discuss security concerns with you and your mother for a reason," he replied, holding his arms behind his back.

"Is it really better if we don't know?"

"I expect a little trust from you on this at least, if nothing else…" her father responded stiffly, turning back towards the window.

"Trust has to go both ways, Daddy," she said, coming to stand beside him.

"You're my daughter, Sally- of course I trust you, but…you're still only seventeen. I have to think in terms of what's best for you," he exhaled softly, "It's a parent's burden, perhaps you'll understand someday."

She nodded solemnly. "I know, I know…" she sighed, "I just…miss being able to do things on my own, that's all…"

"I know there are some…disadvantages to living in such a famous family, but it has its upsides as well," he continued slowly, "Your brother certainly never complains…"

"Elias was already married when you got elected," she reminded him, "And he lives in the next town over – not exactly in the spotlight."

Max rolled his eyes, restraining his tongue enough not to say, "Neither are you." Instead, he merely ran a hand through his head-fur, "Look, it's late- trust me when I say we'll be discussing this much further tomorrow, as will you and your mother. For now," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders gently, "I'm just glad you're safe. Get some sleep."

"I will," she said, placing a hand on his stomach, reciprocating the half-embrace, "And I'm…sorry I worried you tonight, Daddy…"

"Oh, I'm sure I'll get over it- _eventually_. For now I'll just have to dye all this gray fur you're giving me back to brown tomorrow…"

She let out a small laugh, then kissed him lightly on the cheek, "Good night."

"Good night, Princess…"

* * *

"You think her parents will worry if she doesn't come home?" Silver asked, glancing down at Amy, who had fallen fast asleep still curled up against his chest.

Tails yawned tiredly from his spot on the other end of the couch, his head resting against the armrest, "It's a weekend, I d-d-doubt it…" he covered his mouth a bit too late, unable to stile a second yawn.

"Okay…" he nodded, letting his nose nestle into her quills, kissing the top of her head softly.

"So…ya still couldn't do it, huh?" Miles inquired sleepily, barely able to keep his heavy eyelids open.

"I tried…" he sighed, "She thought I was just saying it to be nice – like I felt sorry for her or something…"

"I should get a camera," the other mumbled, making no such effort to move, "Cuz you two just look so damn cute there…and it looks like this might be the only time you're ever gonna get this close…"

"I almost wish you would," the hedgehog said, head hung, "God, why can't I make her understand? I'm such a hopeless loser – I dunno why I'm even deluding myself, thinking she'll ever see me the way I want her to…"

"Just gotta come out an' tell 'er how ya feel, I guess…" Tails mumbled, his eyelids falling completely closed, his arms drooping listlessly at his sides

"I know…" he said quietly, "It's just…so hard…"

The only response Tails' slumbering form could muster was a soft snore.

Silver shook his head, realizing it was too late to be worrying about his nonexistent love-life and settling back into the couch, allowing his own eyelids to droop. With any luck he would wake up before she did and he could try one last time talking to her.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, the front door was unlocked, "After you," Amadeus grinned (perhaps he'd had a bit more wine than he'd realized), bowing graciously to his wife.

Rosemary let out a giggle. "Chivalrous to the end, as always," she cooed, rubbing her nose against his as she passed through the doorway.

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that, once we get upstairs…" he replied softly, grinning broadly as he closed the door behind him.

"Then we better get moving," she said, grabbing hold of his tie as she moved.

Amadeus giggled goofily, the alcohol having relaxed his normally stiff demeanor considerably, "Hope the kids are sleepin'…"

"Ooh, yeah, hang on," she put a hand on his chest as she stopped in front of the living room doorway, where the TV was still glowing blue. Watching her step (as whenever Tails had company the floor became full of all sorts of obstacles), she peeked over the edge of the couch. "Oh, honey, look at this!" she whispered.

He followed after his wife, his hands held in his pockets, "Hey- a girl!" he whispered excitedly, gesturing towards Amy, "Miles forgot to mention that he was inviting over female company, didn't he?" he asked, a hint of pride in his tone.

"Yes, he did," she nodded, "Though it looks like he had to do a bit of sharing," she added, pointed at Silver.

"Still," Amadeus shrugged, choosing to ignore that little detail, "It's better than nothing."

"He's showing initiative," she said, pulling the throw blanket off the back of the couch, "Always a good sign."

"Takes after his old man," the other stated proudly, his voice raising a bit unintentionally.

"Shh," she chided him, walking around to the front of the couch and draping the blanket over all three teens, "Oh, aren't they adorable?"

"Sorta cute, I guess…" the adult male fox-humanoid admitted, feeling slightly effeminate in saying so.

"Get me the camera, will you?" she asked, "Document his first co-ed sleep-over and all that," she said, being sure to word it in a way he would appreciate.

"Good idea," Amadeus said, hurrying off towards the kitchen, his hand occasionally touching the nearby wall in order to keep his balance. He rummaged around in one of the kitchen drawers for a moment, then pulled out a disposable Kodak, which he proceeded to toss towards his wife, "Here ya go, honey."

"Thanks," she said, catching it with both hands. One quick flash later, she tossed it back then leaned down to run a hand over her son's head fur. "G'night sweetheart," she murmured, then straightened up, "They'll be fine down here tonight."

"I'm sure," he agreed, walking back over to stand beside his bride, "Besides," he continued slyly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "There's less a chance of them hearing from down here…"

"Very good point," she said, grinning.

"C'mon," he said eagerly, steering her gently towards the stairs.

* * *

"Sonic?" Uncle Chuck called softly, poking his head around the teen's half-opened bedroom door, "I didn't hear you come in. When did you get back?"

Sonic, who had collapsed into bed without the undo bother of taking off any of his clothing beyond his shoes, opened eye sleepily, "Hey Unc…" he mumbled, "Lil' while 'go…"

"Where were you all night?" the elder hedgehog asked, stepping into the room, "You were in and out so fast this afternoon that I didn't get a chance to ask."

"Sorry," his nephew managed, "Had a lot ta do…clean the wall, bug Knux…go on a date…"

"A date? Been a little while since one 'a those – who with?"

"Sally…" Sonic continued, his foggy mind tuning the conversation in and out as his body attempted to reenter sleep, making it difficult for Sonic to keep straight what information would or wouldn't be useful to his Uncle, "Mayor's daughter," he offered as a semblance of an explanation.

"You don't say," Chuck said, looking impressed, "How'd it go?"

Sonic smirked ever so slightly, raising one hand up several inches to give himself room for a 'thumbs-up.'

The pale-blue humanoid chuckled. "Glad to hear it. You can tell me more in the morning – what're you up to tomorrow anyway?"

"Detention," Sonic sighed softly, closing his eyes again.

"_Detention?!_"

The deep-blue furred humanoid merely shifted his position slightly, overcome by slumber once more, unaware of the trouble he inadvertently just caused for himself.

Chuck rolled his eyes. "You certainly _will _be telling more in the morning," he said, knowing full-well his words went unheard. With an exasperated sigh, he crossed the room to shut the window (which the teen had no doubt used to enter the room) and then departed, giving his nephew one last, weary glance before shutting the door.

* * *

_'Goddammit, I just _know_ she's gonna say it…'_ Shadow thought miserably as he violently retched the contents of his stomach into the bathroom toilet.

Beside him, Maria rubbed his back consolingly, _'I shouldn't say it…I really shouldn't…even though it_ is_ true.'_

"Son-of-a-" Shadow croaked, the vile taste of his own regurgitated and expelled innards permeating his every taste bud. He opened his mouth to say more, and instead threw up once more, _'What the heck!? I only had three beers! I don't think I even_ ate_ this much today!'_

Concern alight in her eyes she hovered closer, dabbing at his face with a wet cloth once he lifted his head from the bowl again. _Every_ time he drank he had the same violent reaction and every time it frightened her. "You think you got it all?" she asked gently.

"I think s-" he cut off again, overcome by another surge of inner upheaval, this time mixed with just a bit of blood.

Panicked, she glanced at the bathroom door, debating whether or not she should call for Gerald. "Shadow!" she whispered tearfully, clutching at him.

"I'm fine," he responded quickly, wiping his mouth off with the back of his left glove, his voice weak but firm. He reached up with his right hand and quickly flushed away the disgusting mess swirling in the water before him, "Honest."

Hands shaking, she pulled him to her, holding him until her heart stopped racing. She pulled back after a short moment, brushing at her wet eyes with one hand. "Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it," he said reassuringly, patting her on the back once, "My fault anyway, right?"

"W-well, yeah, but…I knew it would happen," she said, "And I didn't try hard enough to stop you."

He smiled, unable to help himself, "You're too hard on yourself- this is just my doing and you know it, so go ahead and say what I know you're dying to say…"

"Huh?"

"Go ahead, I deserve it…"

She hesitated, tugging at the hem of her shirt. "I…I _did_ tell you so…" she said quietly.

He rolled his eyes, but grinned nonetheless, "Feel better?"

"A little," she nodded, smiling as well, "And you?"

"I'm ready for bed," he stated, "But I'm sure I'll feel better by tomorrow morning- I always do, after all…"

"Okay," she said, then reached up to the counter and pulled down a half-full glass, "Water?" she asked, offering it to him.

"Thanks," he rasped as he accepted the glass, glad to have any means of ridding his mouth of the horrible taste that was half-digested food and drink.

"What're kid sisters for?" she shrugged, getting to her feet.

"So, so much…" he said, gulping down the glass' contents quickly.

She smiled, then offered him her hand. "Let's get you to bed, okay?"

He accepted her help gratefully, draping an arm over her shoulders for support once he was standing upright, "Okay…"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"You're _where_!?"

"Back in Mobotropolis," Alicia Acorn said, a sleep-mask over her eyes and her Bluetooth headset in one ear as she sat in the back of her limousine riding through the city from the airport.

"What the hell are you doing there?!" her editor, a gruff, world-weary dog humanoid, demanded, his tone a mixture of infuriation and panic. He was pacing around his cluttered office, a smoldering cigarette held tightly between two fingers, "The coronation is today!"

"There's been a family emergency that I have to attend to," she told him, "Don't worry – my staff will cover the coronation, get the facts then fax it all back to me here."

"Your staff consists of three interns you saw in the office and felt sorry for; I didn't hire them, I hired you: Alicia Acorn, world-renown journalist and Pulitzer-winner," the other barked grouchily, "What's this big emergency, anyway?"

She paused, _'Dammit, Max, you're going to make me sound like such an idiot…'_ "My daughter ran off with a hoodlum last night and my husband felt my presence was necessary to deal with the situation. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with him."

"…Please, _please_ say this is a bad joke…" he pleaded weakly.

"I'm afraid I'm quite serious," she sighed, "Call the Mayor and ask him."

"Gonna hide behind that one, eh?" the editor sighed, sitting down heavily in his chair, "…You really think your, erm, staff, can handle it?"

"All they'll be doing is documenting the ceremony – I'll still be the one writing the article," she said, "And I'll go back for a follow-up after the weekend, if you need me to. But right now, I've got a husband at his wits' end and I've got to be there for him. You have daughters, George, you know how it is."

"Sadly, I do," the dog-humanoid agreed, "…You know you're half the reason I'm getting all this gray fur, don't you, Alicia?"

"Good to know I'm not the sole contributor," she said with a laugh, pushing the mask up onto her forehead, abandoning her hopes of sleep before reaching the mansion.

"Just so long as you realize that," he smirked, "Try to get back to the office by Monday, okay?"

"You bet," she said, "See you then."

"Yeah, yeah…"

She turned the phone off and pulled the earpiece off. She'd known he wouldn't be happy – what editor would? Turning to glance out the car window, she sighed. _'Something tells me this is gonna be a _long_ weekend…'_

* * *

"Good morning, dear," Gerald smiled, looking up from his newspaper to witness his granddaughter approaching the living room, "Sleep well?"

"Just fine, Papa, thank you," Maria said brightly, bending down to kiss the old man atop his head, "And you?"

"Better once that racket dimmed a bit," he chortled, flicking his paper once to get the creases out of it, "What time did you two get to bed?"

"A little past midnight, I think," she said, crossing to the counter to pour herself some tea, "Sorry about the noise."

He waved a hand at her dismissively, "I suppose I should be more concerned about the missing bottles from the fridge, hmm?"

"Ah!" Her spoon clattered to the counter as slipped out of her fingers. _'Of course he noticed…'_ "I…I…" she stammered, knowing full well that anything she could say in her own defense would only incriminate her beloved older brother.

"I think Shadow said he has work this morning," the elderly gentleman continued casually, taking a small sip of his coffee, "Do you mind waking him? Oh, and while you're at it, you can tell him he's grounded too. I'm sure he had enough punishment puking his guts out last night, but a little more never hurts…"

"Y-yes, Papa," she nodded, leaving her drink to steep and hurrying back out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

_'Stupid kid…one'a these days he's gonna learn…'_ The professor sighed sadly, his eyes roving over the paper merely for lack of something better to do, getting lost within his own thoughts.

When Maria pushed the bedroom door open it was to complete blackness. She hadn't thought it possible for curtains to block that much light, but Shadow found a way. She set the water and aspirin she'd brought on the dresser and approached the lump of tangled sheets that was her brother. "Shadow…"

Her return greeting was a soft, tired snore, indicating that the hedgehog was still quite unconscious and far from slumbering blissfully.

She peeled back the covers over his head. "Shadow, I mean it – Up and at 'em."

He groaned weakly, one eyelid fluttering open just the tiniest sliver, watching her pitiably. His head was pounding, his throat burned, his eyes felt dry- not the best start to a morning ever, "…Hi."

"You've got work in an hour," she reminded him.

"…Fuck."

She smiled, shaking her head, "Come on, sit up – I brought pain killers."

He grimaced, stretching out in a cat-like manner as he forced himself into an upright position, his eyelids still droopy, "Thanks…" he mumbled.

"Mm-hmm," she murmured, offering him the glass and pills (it was safer to give him only the recommended dose, rather than the whole bottle), "Papa says you're grounded, by the way."

The hedgehog eyed her for a moment, pondering the possibility that she had ratted him out, then dismissed the notion, shrugging, "What else is new?" he asked sarcastically, taking both items.

"Not much I suppose," she said, "I'll go put some coffee on."

"Kay," he nodded, swallowing the pills and quickly chasing them with several sips of water.

* * *

"Mornin' buddy!" Sonic said, grinning widely as he slid into an empty seat in the detention room.

Beside him, Knuckles merely let out a grunt in response.

"Aw c'mon, it won't be that bad- I've had _loads_ of Saturday detentions before," Sonic said, trying to think of something positive to tell his best friend, "Sure they crawl by like molasses in January, but, um…alright, so it sucks- at least we're in it together, right?"

"Uh-huh," Knuckles said, looking unconvinced, "What're you so chipper for this early in the morning anyway?"

"Well, let's just say I had a pretty good time last night, that's all," the hedgehog replied, leaning back in his seat, resting his feet on top of his desk.

He lifted his head from the desk. "Oh?"

"Mm-hmm," Sonic said, grinning airily, closing his eyes as he folded his hands behind his head, "_And_ Sal invited me to some party tonight too."

"Party?" Knuckles asked, "You mean the Campaign Contributors' Benefit?"

"Didn't catch the name- how d'you know, anyway?"

"I'll see you there," he answered, "My dad and I are on the guest list."

"Seriously?" the hedgehog inquired, surprised, "Cool…So, um, is this gonna be like, a formal affair?"

"I'll say," the echidna nodded, "Not exactly your kind of party – do you even _own_ a dress suit?"

Sonic shook his head, "Nope," he allowed his chair to fall back down on four legs, "But Sally must know that; I didn't exactly dress up for last night…"

"That's true…" he said, tapping his chin, "Knowing her, she's already taken that into consideration – I'm sure she has a plan."

"Heh, I'm sure her dad would love me goin' to his bash in this get-up," Sonic laughed, pinching a bit of the fabric of his T-shirt between his forefinger and thumb, "Man did he ever hate my guts…"

"Well, that's at least one thing that doesn't change, even when the girls themselves do," Knuckles laughed.

"Can't be helped," the hedgehog shrugged, "I'm sure you're right- Sally probably has a plan."

"She usually does. She's pretty good that way."

"I've noticed," Sonic said, "Man, you should've introduced me to 'er earlier. Sal…she's really something else-" he cut off, craning his neck around towards the door, which had just creaked on its hinges, "Hey, Lizzy, how's it goin'?"

"Oh just splendidly," the cat-humanoid sighed, striding to the front of the room, "Nothing I like better than spending my Saturdays here with you."

"Simple solution to that: slap my wrist and lemme go," the blue-furred humanoid grinned.

She returned the smile, "Nice try. Unfortunately for all of us, I actually have more than just this to do today, so I've thought of a way to keep you both plenty busy while I get it done."

"Oh? Well that can't be good…" he sighed, slumping down in his seat, throwing an apologetic glance at Knuckles.

"Afraid not," she shook her head, then put a hand down on a tall stack of papers on the desk at the front of the room, "We're going back to our roots today."

Sonic cocked an eye-ridge at her in confusion, "Huh?"

Knuckles blanched, staring at his gloved hands, "Please tell me you're not serious, ma'am…"

"'I will not cause disturbances by brawling in school'," she said, "I don't care exactly how many times, just that you use all of your time here to do it. And it better be legible."

"Wait, what're you- oh, you're not serious…" Sonic asked in disbelief, his expression crestfallen, "_Lines_??? Are you kidding me?"

"I'm running out of ideas, so I'm resorting to the tried and true," she said simply, "At least this will keep you occupied."

"And bored to tears…" he sighed, shaking his head, "Boy, if my Unc didn't have the hots for you, this would put a serious cramp in our relationship, Liz…"

Cheeks flushed, she set a stack before each of them, topped with a pen. "I'll be back every hour or so to check on you."

"Yes ma'am…" Knuckles mumbled quietly, picking up the writing utensil in front of him.

"Yer killin' me, Liz, ya really are," Sonic frowned, leaning back in his seat again, the rusty, ancient legs creaking softly, _'Five or six lines an hour should be fine, seein' as she didn't say how many she wanted…'_

"Ditto," she said as she headed out the door.

Sonic waited until the door clicked closed before he spoke again, "Are you…are you actually writing the lines?" he asked incredulously, watching his friend warily.

"I'm not getting in trouble again," the echidna muttered.

"Suit yourself," the other shrugged, allowing his seat to fall back into its proper place, "Wake me up before she gets back, okay?" he asked, resting his head against his arms on the desktop.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…" Knuckles groaned.

"Fine, fine- I suppose this is _sorta_ my fault anyway…" Sonic said, standing up to keep himself awake, "How'd work go last night?"

"Ugh…well, first it was horrible, then it was wonderful, then it was horrible again…"

"Unusual change-up from horrible, horrible, and horrible: what happened?" the hedgehog asked interestedly, pacing slowly around the room.

"When I was stuck in women's, I had to cover a lunch at the fitting room and while I was there…Rouge showed up…" he began, fiddling with his pen shyly.

"_Really_?" Sonic asked, grinning slyly, "Please tell me she was tryin' on lingerie…"

Blushing, his best friend could only nod.

The blue-furred humanoid laughed aloud, clapping his hands together once, "Damn, man, that's so fuckin' hot!"

"Yeah…it was…" he murmured, staring intently at the writing implement.

"So, didja…ya know…?"

"Did we…_what?!_Oh, no! No! At work?! Are you _crazy_?!?"

"Aww, you're such a prude…" Sonic sighed as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, shaking his head in disappointment.

"We haven't even been on an _actual_ date yet, let alone thought about…_that_…"

"Yeah, yeah…so I guess after she left the 'horrible' returned?"

"There wasn't anywhere the night could go but downhill from there."

"I can only imagine…"

* * *

"Good morning sweetheart," Rosemary Prower said cheerfully as her son entered the kitchen, "Ready for breakfast?"

"If those are pancakes I smell, you can count me in," Tails smiled, breathing in deeply through his nose in order to absorb the wonderful aroma wafting out of the kitchen.

"But of course," his mother nodded, "I set an extra place at the table, too. Your father's _very_ excited about your extra guest."

Miles blinked, thinking for a moment, "Extra gu- oh, you mean Amy!" he smiled, shaking his head, "Dad'll be disappointed; I was just tryin' to get Silver to tell her he likes 'er."

"Oh, _she's_ the one he's always moping about?" she said, "How'd that go?"

"Still stuck in the 'friend zone'- of course, he still couldn't manage to get the words 'I like you' outta his mouth, so…I dunno," he shrugged, sitting down on one of the stools lined up against the counter, "How was yer dinner last night?"

"Just wonderful," she said, setting a plate in front of him, "Thanks for holding down the fort for us."

"No problem," he replied, licking his lips hungrily as he picked up his fork and knife, "You guys must've got in pretty late- I know we were up playing video games until almost midnight…"

"Mm-hmm, around one I think," she said, placing the platter of pancakes back into the oven to keep warm, "A bit later than we'd planned, but we sort of lost track of time. Sorry we weren't back in time to say good night."

"Aw, it's okay," the younger fox said, opening the little tub of butter in the center of the counter and withdrawing a bit with his knife, "After all, I am in high school now; I think I can manage to get to sleep without being tucked in anymore," he smiled good-humoredly, spreading the butter onto the top pancake in his stack.

"Oh…" she sighed, leaning over to wrap her arms around him, "You're getting so big!"

"Mom, c'mon, cut it out…" Tails whined, rolling his eyes as he set his utensils down to pat his mother on the back.

"Dear, are you coddling my young man again?" his father asked sternly as he entered the kitchen, tousling his son's head-fur when he passed by the pair.

"He may be your 'young man', but he's still my baby," she insisted, giving the teen fox a quick kiss before releasing him again.

"Maaahhhhmmm…" Miles groaned, his twin-tails flickering about in embarrassment. He picked up his utensils and began to cut up his pancakes, staring down at his plate in hopes that the reddish tinge in his cheeks would go unnoticed.

"Sorry, honey," she said, "Are your friends still sleeping?"

"I think so, yeah," the teenager nodded, squeezing some syrup out of the bottle onto his hotcakes, "I'll go check on 'em in a minute."

"Okay," she nodded, getting up to present her husband with a second bottle (this one marked 'Light') as he sat down to his own meal.

Amadeus scowled grumpily at his wife, but said nothing. He waited until she turned back to the oven, then winked at his son and quickly snatched up the first bottle, pouring it over his pancakes while he snapped the top open on the second bottle to give it the illusion of having been used, "So, who's your lady-friend, Miles?"

"Hmm? Oh that's Amy," Tails replied, "She's in Silver's grade."

"Goin' after the older gals, eh? Chip off the old block," the elder male humanoid declared proudly, spearing a bit of his pancake with his fork and taking a quick bite.

Rosemary frowned, coming up behind him. "I'm only older than you by five months, mister," she said, taking a piece off his plate for herself, and pursing her lips at the too-sweet-to-be-Light taste.

"It's Silver who likes Amy," Tails said, continuing the conversation to keep his father from being reprimanded, "I invited her over to give him a chance to talk to her without Sonic around hogging her attention."

"Well, it's a start nonetheless," Amadeus continued, careful to avoid his wife's disapproving gaze.

The teen grinned, "That's true I guess – and she's a good friend."

"They still sleeping?" the elder fox asked, savoring his food as he slowly worked his way through the pancake (if Rose let him have another, it wouldn't taste nearly as good with that 'I-can't-believe-it's-not-syrup' crap anyway…).

"Yeah, I'll go wake them when I'm finished here."

"Very good," his father nodded, "I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss out on such an excellent breakfast anyway…" he stated, carefully reaching for a second flapjack.

"I'm glad you're both enjoying it so much," Rosemary said, sliding the 'Light' syrup bottle closer to her husband again, "I'll have bacon and sausages ready in just a minute, too."

"Mom, you're the best," Tails grinned, licking his sticky lips.

"Agreed," Amadeus said automatically, though his eyes, rather than watching his beautiful bride, were now glowering at the reduced-calorie, log-cabin-shaped bottle in front of him.

"Thank you," she smiled, brightly, returning to the stove.

* * *

"Do we really have to do this now, Max?" Alicia sighed, sinking onto the bed the two shared as her husband fast-forwarded through the previous day's security camera footage.

"I know you're tired, dear, but Sally's still sleeping (did I mention she got back past her curfew?), so the best I can do is show you what the security cameras got of this punk," the Mayor of Mobotropolis explained, concentrating on the screen.

"Alright, alright," she said, forcing herself to sit upright, "Let's see it then."

He nodded, pausing the security tape so he could zoom in, "Okay, here he is, defiling our front step with his presence- ugh, look at those clothes!"

"He doesn't look so bad…" she mused, resting her chin in one hand.

"Alright, so Nigel answers the door, and- …Would you like some coffee or something?" Maximillian asked curtly, watching as his wife stifled a yawn.

"That'd be helpful, actually," she nodded.

"Nigel!" Max called, cupping one hand around a portion of his mouth, "Are you there?"

"You called?" the butler asked, stepping through the half-open doorway.

"Could I get a cup of coffee for Alicia, please?"

"Naturally, sir," the elderly man nodded.

"Thank you," the mayor's wife told him before turning back towards the monitors, "So after he answered the door what happened?"

"Just watch…" Max scowled, his arms folded across his chest as the video continued.

She did so, eyelids drooping. "Seems like the regular welcome you'd give any boy our daughter brought home," she said.

"Wait for it…"

What appeared to be a routine pickup suddenly shifted drastically and her eyes widened as she watched the hedgehog vanish from the screen with her daughter, leaving the twenty-man security detail in a cloud of dust, disoriented and scrambling like mad toward the gates off screen. "Well…" she said slowly, "That's not something you see everyday, is it?"

"I swear to God, Alicia, if I didn't know Sally would be upset with me, I might've pressed kidnapping and reckless endangerment charges against this damn spikehead by now…" Max stated gruffly, pausing the film again.

"Now really, you're overreacting," Alicia said, "And it's not kidnapping if she went willingly."

"I know, I know," he exhaled noisily, "I just don't understand _why_ she would want to go willingly- you saw those records I sent you, right? With the horrible grades and the list a mile long of school-administered punishments?"

"I did," she nodded, "Did you think to ask _her_ for her reasons?"

"All I got was that 'he _intrigues_ her'. What does that even mean, anyway? Is that some sort of female code I don't understand?"

She smirked, "In a manner of speaking. Girls like someone they can't figure out on a first impression alone – it's a type of challenge they enjoy."

"Wonderful…" the mayor grumbled flatly, "Why couldn't she just enjoy a challenge with someone like the de Coolette boy? Nice, polite, proper, _and_ his parents are the ambassadors from Puissance!"

Alicia made a face, "He's also a first-class snob – one whom Sally is _much _too spirited for."

"It was just an example," Max retorted defensively, "Sally's had other dates before- several of which I distinctly remember not hating. None of those boys were even remotely as dislikable as this, this Sonic character…"

"Yet none of those dates were ever followed by a second," she pointed out, "Look, the only way we're going to sort this out is by actually sitting down with her to talk about it. If he really is as bad as you say, then surely she'll be concluded in her business with him. If she's seeing him again, then maybe there's more to him than what we have right here," she finished, gesturing at the screen.

"So you'll talk to her?" he asked in relief, employing selective hearing to glaze over the portions of the speech he didn't wish to deal with at the moment.

"Of course," she nodded.

He smiled, finally able to relax a bit, "Thank you…"

"Anytime," she said, pushing herself up off the bed, "Might as well get it over with now." She passed by the butler on her way out the door, and she plucked the coffee cup from the tray he held as she went. "Thank you, Nigel."

Flustered, the elderly servant merely inclined his head respectfully to the retreating form of the world famous journalist, "No trouble at all, madam…"

* * *

"You again?!" Bokkun cried as Shadow trudged through the sliding glass doors at the entrance to Egman's.

"Yes, me," Shadow grunted, glaring up at the little robot, his hands held in the pocket of his khaki trousers, "The doctor in his office?"

Chest puffed out importantly, the black bot flew off. "I'll tell him you're here."

The hedgehog merely leaned up against the nearest wall, closing his eyes in an effort to lessen the throbbing, dull pain in his head that several aspirin hadn't completely been able to quell.

Not long after, the silence of the early-morning emporium was broken by Julian's booming voice, "Good to see you, my boy! And right on time – punctuality is key, well done!" he cried, striding forward, Bokkun following behind dejectedly.

Shadow cringed involuntarily at the sheer volume of his relation's voice, "Hello, Doctor…" he said in a bored monotone, _'Between that voice and these damn lights it's gonna be an unbearable day…'_

The human draped an arm around the hedgehog's shoulders. "Come now, let's get you geared up!"

Shadow took a deep breath, trying not to focus on the fact that, once again, he was being touched by the larger man, "Geared up, sir?" he asked warily.

"You'll need a uniform, first and foremost, and then the basic equipment that most of the robots are already built with," he answered.

_'Goddamn it all…'_ "I see."

"Yes, yes, right this way," he said, steering him towards his office.

* * *

_'God, she's adorable…'_ Silver smiled (albeit in a mixture of contentment and glumness) watching Amy's sleeping form affectionately. True their positioning had left the right half of his body asleep, and yes, he'd been awake for approximately the last forty-five minutes, but (pathetic as he knew it was) it more than enough for him to merely get to spend time in such close proximity with the object of his affections. The view he had down her rather loose top certainly didn't hurt either…

"So how long are you gonna let her stay like that?" Tails asked, leaning over the back of the couch.

Silver flinched, startled, but tried to remain as steady as possible, his particularly furry chest rising and falling rapidly from the surprise, "Don't do that!" he hissed quietly, craning his neck around to better look at Tails, "I dunno; I'm sure she'll wake up soon…"

"You could, you know, actually wake her up yourself…"

"I-I couldn't do that; she looks so peaceful…" he mumbled, his cheeks flushed slightly.

Tails could only shake his head, smirking. "Or I could shake you both and you could pretend to just be waking up now."

"You're the best, Tails."

"Yeah, I know," he said, reaching down to grab each hedgehog by the shoulder, "C'mon guys! Mom's got breakfast ready!"

Silver put on his best 'startled' face and pretended to awaken, "…Huh? Wha-? Breakfast?" _'Now I might actually get a taste of those pancakes I've been smelling the last fifteen minutes…'_

"Hmm?" Amy raised her head from Silver's chest, "Izzit morning already?"

"'Fraid so," the male hedgehog smiled pleasantly. Out of the corner of his eye, he managed to catch a glimpse of Tails bounding out of the room again, "Sleep well?"

"I did," she nodded, rubbing her eyes with one hand, "Oh, geez, was I leaning on you all night? I'm sorry…"

He let out a short, nervous chuckle, "I-It's alright, I didn't mind," _'Though getting feeling back in half my body might take some doing…'_

"You really are the best, Silver," she said, smiling at him before hopping up off the couch.

Unfortunately, her left hand had been resting in territory rather close to his nether regions, making the fact that she had pushed off him to get up a good deal more painful that he would've expected. Silver winced but managed to keep his reaction to that, "Heh, um, th-thanks…" he said, his voice just a tad higher than normal.

"Huh?" Halfway around the couch, she turned back cocking her head to one side, "You coming?"

_'How can I be in so much pain and be so happy at the same time…?'_ "Be right there," he assured her weakly, his left (not numb) hand gripping the couch cushion next to him tightly.

"Okay," she said, her smile returning, "See you in there!"

"Yup," he nodded,_'Whenever I can move again…'_

* * *

"Sally? Honey, you up yet?" Alicia Acorn asked, slipping into her daughter's bedroom, breakfast tray held in both hands, her face and clothes smudged with flour and soot (a result of her kitchen escapades, which ultimately proved unfruitful and she had to call the staff for help).

Sally's eyes blinked open instantly, reorienting herself to her surroundings, "…Mom?" she asked, covering her mouth to cough politely (her voice initially weak from the hours of disuse), "I see you got back alright," she finished, smiling.

"Just got in a few hours ago, actually," the elder chipmunk female replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed, the tray resting in her lap, "I brought breakfast!"

"Mmm- you came all the way home just to cook for me?" the younger inquired delicately, not wishing to offend her mother, but equally wary of the meal, having tasted her mother's cooking before.

"Well, I tried, but it didn't turn out so well," Alicia admitted, offering the tray to her daughter, "This is James' work, not mine. And I actually came all the way home because your father asked me to."

James' (their cook) food was always excellent, so Sally accepted the tray, "Well, I appreciate the effort anyways," she stated cheerfully, "Daddy mentioned you'd be coming home early- because of my 'unruly' behavior, right?"

"Something like that," her mother nodded, "That boy last night certainly is gifted, I must say. Did he really run all the way to the west coast?"

Sally grinned, placing the breakfast tray (tempting though it was) onto her nightstand, then launched into a long, detailed account of her quite memorable date with the blue hedgehog, a process that took nearly a quarter of an hour.

Through it all, Alicia listened raptly, crawling across the bed to sit beside her daughter a few minutes in. Ever since she could speak, Sally's enthusiasm (no matter what the topic of discussion) was contagious, and the passion in her words became more enrapturing the older and more eloquent she became. So it came as no surprise that by the end of the tale, Alicia was smiling mistily, one arm wrapped around the girl as she finished.

"…and then he just fell backwards off the sill and was gone…" Sally sighed wistfully, lost in her own reminiscence, "Then Daddy burst in the room, and you probably got the rest after that…"

Alicia laughed, "Yeah, that's where I come in. Oh honey, it sounds so romantic, I'm glad you had such a good time."

Her daughter blushed slightly, "So…you approve?"

"He sounds absolutely charming; I'd love to meet him."

"Oh good, 'cause I invited him to Dad's party tonight," Sally ventured cautiously, twirling a bit of her head-fur around one finger.

"Ooooh, perfect!" Alicia cooed, hugging the teen from behind, "And how'd Dad react to that bit of news?"

"I, er, haven't actually told him yet…"

"Ah! Now everything makes sense," she laughed.

"Could you smooth it over with him before, say, 5ish today? Please?" Sally asked, biting on her lower lip as she hugged her mother back.

"Don't you worry, I'll handle it," Alicia said, stroking her daughter's head-fur.

"Thank you," the other chirped happily, releasing her mother, "Have you had a chance to eat or sleep yet, or was Daddy keeping you too busy trying to bias you against Sonic?"

The elder female laughed, "He was _quite_ insistent, but don't worry – both of those are on my to-do list before the party."

"Well, that tray you brought in smells delightful, and I'm sure there's plenty for both of us," Sally offered.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Alicia said, reaching over to the bedside table and pulling the tray over, "I've been dying to have some since I left the kitchen."

With a small giggle and an indulgent roll of her eyes, Sally dug in as well, "So…how was your trip?"

* * *

"And here we have the one tool an employee can never be without," Snively droned, holding out what looked like an oversized graphing calculator attached to a video-game pistol handle, "We call it simply 'the gun'."

_'God I wish I had a gun…'_ Shadow thought miserably. Pretending to look interested in what Snively was saying was far beyond the scope of what he could force himself to do at this point. Now an hour into what was, he had quickly realized, the training session from hell, it was all he could do just to keep his eyelids open, "What's it do?" he inquired, his tone almost matching his relative's in disinterest.

"It enables you to find out everything you never wanted to know about every item we carry," the human answered, demonstrating as he spoke, "You simply hold it up to the barcode on any package, depress the trigger, and it all appears on the monitor here."

"Fascinating…" the hedgehog-humanoid said, taking the device and stuffing it unceremoniously onto his belt clip, "So how long've you been working here?" he asked, hoping to change the subject to something (anything!) more interesting, however slightly.

"Since I finished graduate school," Snively replied, "Nigh on ten years…though it seems much longer."

"Graduate school…and you're working here?" Shadow inquired, cocking his head to one side, leaning up against the nearest aisle.

Before the human could respond, Bokkun popped up above his head, giggling, "Yeah – impressive, ain't it?"

Snively scowled furiously at the floating bot, "Doesn't my uncle have need of your services elsewhere, pest?"

"Maybe, but it probably wouldn't be as much fun."

"Neither would being disassembled," the short, balding human snapped threateningly. Shadow (despite the fact that he happened to agree with Bokkun) smirked cruelly, folding his arms across his chest.

Trying not to look too frightened, the robot rose up near the ceiling (well out of arms' reach). "I-I think I hear the manager calling," he stammered, before zipping off.

Snively watched smugly as the droid retreated, then turned back to Shadow, "Come along, next I'll show you how to work the registers…"

"Wonderful…" the hedgehog sighed, _'I think I might actually have preferred detention…'_

* * *

"I never realized five sentences could take up so much room on a page…"

"And they only took me like, two minutes," Sonic smirked proudly.

"You really think she'll accept it looking like that?"

The blue-furred hedgehog stared at his handiwork for a moment. The few renditions of 'I will not cause disturbances by brawling in school' that he had scrawled out were large, marginally legible at best, and in no discernable order- the only boundary he'd taken into account was the fact that the page itself was 8.5" by 11" and it showed, with words going every which direction in an effort to take up as much room as possible, "Don't see why not," he shrugged confidently, letting the paper flutter back down onto his desktop.

Knuckles, whose page was filled with exactly the amount of sentences the lines provided allowed (and whose wrist was already starting to ache), sighed. "Hope you're right," he said, setting down his pen for a moment of rest as their first hour drew to a close.

"Guess we'll find out, huh?" Sonic said, swiveling around in his seat as the door to the room opened, "Hey, there's my favorite guidance counselor," he called by way of a greeting, "Back so soon?"

"Told you I would be," Sawyer answered, "How's it coming in here?"

"Just fine," Knuckles answered automatically. He picked up his pen and began to nervously twirl it around in his right hand, the left pulling a fresh sheet of paper from the stack and laying it on his desk next to the used one.

She glanced over his shoulder as she approached the front of the room, "Very nice," she said, patting him gently on the shoulder. Her smile faded as she turned towards the hedgehog's desk. "Taking my instructions very literally, eh?"

"You betcha," he grinned widely, rubbing a finger horizontally across his face just under his nose.

She could only shake her head, "Glad to see your listening skills are improving."

"Maybe I'll make the next one in a spiral, just to shake things up."

"Have fun with that," she said, "I'll be back in another hour or so."

"Later, Lizzy," Sonic said, waving lazily at the cat-humanoid's retreating form. He waited until the door closed, then turned to Knuckles, "Maybe I'll slip some dirty words in this one…"

The echidna flushed, trying not to look too amused. "You're terrible."

Sonic picked up his pencil and pretended to write in midair, "'I-will-not-tell-my guidance-counselor-my-uncle-wants-to-bone-her…'"

"He _does_??" Knuckles asked.

"Oh yeah," Sonic laughed, balancing his chair on its two back legs, "Ever since he first laid eyes on her. That was my first disciplinary house call…"

"How…erm…romantic…"

* * *

"Morning, Mr. and Mrs. Prower," Silver said cheerfully as he floated into the room, a bright-turquoise glow surrounding his body. Smoothly, he settled down onto the lone remaining empty stool, eagerly surveying the delicious breakfast spread out on the table.

"Good morning, dear," Rosemary greeted him, "Help yourself to anything on the counter, and coffee's in the pot if you'd like any."

"Thanks- everything looks great," Silver said politely, gathering what he could reach onto his plate with his hands while the coffee pot floated through the air towards him.

"Oh goodness," Rose laughed, stepping out of the way of the pot.

Tails shot the hedgehog a knowing smirk, muttering, "Showoff…"

Silver's cheeks tinged a light hue of red, then hastily decided to changed the subject, "So did you two have a good time last night?" he inquired with a glance over at Miles' parents, buttering his pancakes while the pot filled up his cup.

"Very much so," she nodded, settling down next to Amy, "Dinner was excellent and I even got Amadeus to dance with me after a few glasses of wine, didn't I, Dede?" she asked, shooting a wink at her husband.

Tails' father frowned at her use of what he considered to be, at best, a private nickname, "We danced a bit, yes…" he mumbled.

"That's so sweet," Amy said, stirring her tea absently, "It's great that you make time to still be a couple after all these years."

_'All these years…?'_ Amadeus thought indignantly, but he took a deep breath and chose to let the quip go, "It's important to make time for yourselves every now and then," he shrugged, "Now that Miles is a bit older, it's easier than it used to be to find that time…"

"Good for you," the teen said, beaming at the pair. With her own parents, such thoughts never seemed quite so romantic, but that was probably the case with everyone. Tails certainly didn't appear as enthusiastic about the conversation topic (or maybe it was just his distaste for his real name).

Silver smirked, nudging his friend in the side with one elbow, "Hey, I forgot to say 'thanks' for inviting us over, _Miles_."

The young fox scowled, "Anytime."

Amadeus looked over at Silver curiously, _'I think I have a shirt just like that…'_ He shrugged, then turned his attention to his son, "So, any big plans for this weekend, Miles? Homework, perhaps?"

"Huh? Actually I don't have all that much, I can probably get it all done tomorrow afternoon," Tails said, "And Charmy had wanted to meet up at the mall for lunch today."

"Not too busy hanging out with those weird friends of his?" Silver asked with a chortle, spearing another bit of flapjack with his fork.

"Not today, apparently," Tails said, smirking.

"Now boys, that's not nice," Rosemary scolded lightly.

"'Weird friends'?" Amadeus repeated, confused.

They both turned. "Well, Charmy's usually hangs out with a bit of an older crowd…" Tails started.

The two adults exchanged wary glances, "Do his parents know?" Tails' father asked sternly.

"I guess so," Silver said, scratching his head in thought, "I know they mooch off his folks for food quite a lot."

"Sound wonderful," Amadeus sighed, rolling his eyes, "They aren't going to be at the mall, are they?"

"Not likely," Amy said, realizing assurances were in order, "It's not exactly their favorite hang out."

"And Charmy would've mentioned it if they were," Tails added.

Mr. Prower nodded, satisfied, then sat back in his chair, taking a sip from his mug. Beside him, his wife put in, "Well, just remember to give us a call when you get there, Miles, alright?"

"Sure thing."

* * *

"I don't understand, Manager, why did you hire that hedgehog humanoid?" Decoe inquired nervously, hovering over Robotnik's right shoulder.

"Are we not doing an efficient enough job? Between the store and the factory things can get quite hectic, but we always try our best…" Bocoe added, glancing over the doctor's left shoulder.

"No, no, you're doing just fine," the mustached human said, not looking up from the papers on his desk, "But the boy is a relation, the ward of my grandfather, and he's in need of some real world experience. So I expect you all to make him feel welcome."

The two robots glanced at each other briefly, then back at their creator, "Pardon us for bothering you further, Manager, but-"

"We can't help but think that, well-"

"Given a man with your intellect-"

"That there might be an ulterior motive to hiring that boy…"

"Ulterior motive?!" Julian echoed, feigning surprise, "Me??" He chuckled, "Well boys, let's just say I think this lad has…_potential_. But do me a favor, would you? Don't mention the factory to him just yet – I want it to be a surprise."

Even more confused than before, both robots merely nodded, "Affirmative, sir."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"FREEDOM!!!"

Dr. Sawyer put a hand on either side of the doorframe, forcing the hedgehog to grind to a halt in front of her. "Just one second!" she said, "I want papers in my hand, then you both can go."

Sonic ran back to his desk and retrieved the thin stack of papers (some marked with doodles, others with hidden messages or swear words), practically forcing them into her hands, "Have fun with these, Liz, I'm out," he turned around to face his best friend (who was in the process of finishing up his last sentence), "Knux, I'll see ya tonight!"

"Uh-huh," the echidna nodded, not looking up.

With a gust of wind, the hedgehog disappeared in a blue blur.

Smoothing out her tousled fur, Sawyer approached Knuckles, "You ready to get out of here too?"

"Er, I suppose so…" he nodded, setting down his pencil. Detention hadn't really been a terrible way to spend this particular Saturday, considering that his father was working from home in order to have sufficient time to get ready for the party. If he didn't get back when he'd said he would, there'd be hell to pay. Of course, even if he did, that wouldn't change anything…He gathered up his papers and offered them to the guidance counselor.

"Alright then," she said, giving the work a quick once-over, "Very nice. I _am_ sorry you got dragged into this – I know you were only trying to help your friend," she said, smiling pityingly at him. He really was _such_ a good kid…

Knuckles merely inclined his head once, "I might have work a few days this week, so I won't be able to join Sonic or that other hedgehog everyday," he explained quietly, "I assume that black hedgehog had an excuse for today? Or did you just think it better to keep him and Sonic out of the same room?"

"Well, that had been my plan, but I got a call from his sister this morning telling me he had work that he'd forgotten about when I assigned the punishment," she explained as the pair exited the classroom, "So, we'll see how much time actually gets served this week. I swear, the whole thing seems more and more like a formality and less an actual deterrent every year."

Knuckles smiled sympathetically, "It's kinda an easy loophole to use. Do the human students have it this easy?"

"It's an option, but it's a tougher one for them to exploit," she said, tucking both of their stacks of paper into a folder she'd brought along, "With humanoids it's as simple as you telling me and me trusting your word. The human students have to have forms filled out by parents _and_ employers, plus they all go through Principal Brantley."

"Guess there are a few advantages to being second-class…"

She nodded, "The Board cares more about human performance, so they crack down harder on them…"

"And you get to deal with our crap," the echidna finished, "Just so long as you can cycle us through the system without too many 'disruptive incidents', or something like that, right?"

"Horrible as it sounds, that's amazingly close to the language in the actual school policy statement."

"There's an article I'd like to write, if speciesism wasn't such an accepted practice…" he sighed, shaking his head in disgust as the arrived at the metal-reinforced, glass double-doors that served as the school's central entry/exit point.

"With grades like yours, you might get the chance someday," she told him, "It's certainly long overdue."

"If I can get a job after college…maybe," he replied glumly, "Well, um, have a good evening, I guess. Sorry you had to be here all day with us…"

"Don't worry about – don't tell Sonic, but I really didn't have anything great planned for today anyway," she admitted, one hand behind her head.

"Really?" the other inquired, rather surprised, "Guess work doesn't allow you much free time for, er…a life…huh?"

"Not as much as I lead him to believe," she sighed.

Knuckles nodded, a sense of awkwardness creeping over him, "Well, erm, there's always, um…" he paused, straining for some way to finish his sentence, "Sonic's uncle," The words hadn't seemed so stupid until they actually left his tongue. He tried to cover the sheer stupidity of the comment with a quick chuckle, rubbing the back of his head with one gloved-hand, _'Really? I'm telling my_guidance counselor_ go mate-hunting? I gotta get outta here…'_

Joining in the awkward laughter, Sawyer couldn't help but blush. "Er…right… Well, um, you'd better get going – I've held you up long enough…"

"Heh heh, alright," he nodded, pushing one of the glass doors open, "I'll, um, see you later, Dr. Sawyer. Have a good weekend."

"You too," she said, waving slightly.

Feeling somewhat relieved, Knuckles exited the school, one set of troubles falling away as he walked towards the next batch.

* * *

"Mmm-MM!" Charmy said, giving his milkshake one final slurp before tossing the cup in the nearest trash can, "Totally worth five bucks."

"Says the kid who still gets a $20 allowance," Tails ribbed his friend, shaking his head.

"Hey, as long as they keep givin' it, I'm not turning it down," the bee said with a laugh, "So where to next?"

"I get the feeling I know where already…" Silver spoke up, having stopped several feet behind them. The other two followed his gaze back a short distance to where Amy had paused in front of a department store window, mesmerized by the seemingly infinite span of clothing.

"Oh man…" Charmy sighed, rolling his eyes. Beside him, Tails' expression contorted into something between irritation and disgust at the prospect of having to look at clothing (_'Mom's not even here to force me or nothin'!'_).

"If you guys wanna go on ahead, I'll go in with her and we can catch up later," Silver ventured cautiously, shooting Tails a meaningful look.

"Huh? Oh, OH! Right, yeah okay," the fox nodded, quickly catching on, "Wanna head up to the GameStop, Charmy?"

"Works for me," the bee said, "My condolences to you, Silv," he added, tipping his baseball cap in the hedgehog's directions, "Way ta take one for the team."

Silver smiled, playing along- it was fine if Tails knew his intentions, but it certainly wouldn't do for more people than necessary to find out. He strolled back over to where Amy was still window gazing (as, he had discovered, girls were wont to do), "The mannequin can't do it justice the way you would…" he spoke up shyly, glancing up at the dressmaker's dummy in the window, which was clad in a sundress of white linen, with a beaded flower print that started in the lower right corner of the bodice and worked its way up the to the left side of the collar.

She blushed, bumping up against him playfully. "You're just saying that…"

"No, seriously, you should try it on," he pressed, hunching over slightly so his face was at the same height as hers. He smirked a tad, then leaned in closer to her (their cheeks only several inches apart) and whispered, "You know you want to…"

Her eyes were shining at she spoke again, "I suppose it couldn't hurt…"

* * *

_'Guess Sal's out at the moment…'_ Sonic thought, his eyes flickering around the chipmunk-humanoid's deserted room from his perch on her windowsill. Rather than go through the hassle of the front door again, he'd simply seen fit to hop over the daunting fence surrounding the mayor's manor. Once inside, undetected by a security system designed to catch much slower moving targets, the hedgehog had scaled the side of the house once more to Sally's room. Thankfully, the window was open, despite the somewhat chilly air of the afternoon, _'Ah well,'_ he shrugged, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes_, 'Good a place as any for a quick catnap…'_

As with most naps of this nature, it was destined to be a short one, as Sally came through the door a moment later, a fresh load of clean laundry in her arms. Distracted by the chore of putting everything in its place, it wasn't until she rose from kneeling beside her dresser and took a moment to glance in the mirror above it that she spotted the hedgehog in the reflection. With a startled cried, she spun quickly on her heel, clutching at her chest. "Sonic?!"

His right eye flickered opened quickly, "Hey Sal," he yawned, stretching his arms over his head, "Sup?"

"Um, n-not much," she stammered, "When did you get here?"

"Dunno- what time is it?" he asked, sitting up and cracking his neck back and forth once, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"About quarter to five," she answered, glancing at her wristwatch as she drew closer to the window.

"Oh, okay, only about fifteen minutes then," he said, shifting into an upright position, the tips of his bright red shoes brushing against the expensive carpet.

"Alright, er, come in," she said, playing with her head-fur (which hung loose around her shoulders) absently.

He slid off the sill, standing up and smoothing out his spikes with a hand. He strolled over to her, brushing his lips against her cheek delicately, "So detention sucked- how was your day?" he asked quietly.

Blushing, she answered, "Not bad – party prep mostly. Oh and I warmed my mom up to the idea of you."

Sonic grinned, sitting down on the large, well-kempt bed behind them, leaning back on his hands, "Awesome- it'd be nice if at least one of yer parents didn't hate me."

"That doesn't seem too much to ask for," she laughed, "She's really looking forward to meeting you, actually – though it may because I was a little biased in my retelling of our evening together," she said, settling down beside him.

"You probably balanced out your dad's version of me a little," he laughed, casually shuffling a bit closer to her.

"Hopefully," she smirked, "Though I like to think my version's a little closer to reality…"

"Probably- for starters, I think your dad's version of me has little horns and a pronged-tail…" he replied, "So… what time's this party a' yours start, hmm?"

"The guests start arriving at seven, and dinner's served at 7:30, so we'll be announced sometime in between then," she explained, smoothing out the skirt she was wearing, as it was sliding up her thighs from the friction with the comforter.

"…Announced?" he asked distractedly, his eyes no longer focused on hers.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, not noticing his gaze slipping as she spoke, "We'll be formally announced when we enter the ballroom – sort of an old tradition, but Daddy likes to show off sometimes."

"As we big shots are wont to do," Sonic stated, trying to keep up his end of the conversation as he drank in the vision of beauty that was her shapely, now somewhat more-exposed legs. Sitting alone with a girl, in her room (on her bed, no less) was far from a new experience for Sonic. Considering the fact that he'd only been acquainted with Sally for about 36 hours, in addition to having only gone on one date, might've made a lesser hedgehog feel uncomfortable about where his current line of thought was leading.

But, as she had inadvertently pointed out, they had plenty of time on their hands- what was the harm in getting to know one another a little better? Well, so long as the father from hell didn't interrupt… "Guess we've got a couple'a hours to kill then, huh?" he asked, lying back further on the bed, resting only on his elbows now, his tone casual but containing just a hint of suggestiveness.

"I suppose…" she said, turning around, bemused, "We can't hang around too long though. It'll take a little while for you to get fitted for a suit and me to get made-up and into my dress…"

_'She…she doesn't get it?'_ Puzzled, now a bit off his game, Sonic gestured lazily with one finger for her to join him on the bedspread, "Still, none of that can take two hours…"

She scrutinized him for a moment, then lowered herself over him so they were nearly nose to nose. "Oh Sonic…" she said softly, "You have so much to learn. Come on, let me introduce you to _my _world." With that, she pushed herself up off the bed once again. "The tailor's waiting."

Flustered (and rather humiliated), his face flushed a light hue of red, he sat up as well,_'Son of a _bitch_!'_ "As you command, Princess…" he frowned, irritated but doing his best not to seem too disappointed.

Smiling triumphantly, she led him out of the room and into the hall. "I think this should be a bit of an enlightening experience, " she told him as they walked, "You'll see just how much it takes to become 'Daddy's Perfect Little Photo-op'."

_'Me and my big fuckin' mouth…'_

* * *

"Okay, what do you think?" Amy asked, stepping out from the dressing room stall, grinning shyly.

Silver swallowed anxiously, the light red discoloration in his cheeks and ears betraying his feelings more than any words could, his eyes flickering up and down her form briefly. The dress fit her form perfectly: it was light, airy, and accentuated all the right places, from her neckline down to her accompanying white, strappy, open-toed, short-heeled shoes, "Gorgeous…" he managed, forcing his suddenly dry tongue to work.

"Yeah?" she giggled, then spun once, letting the skirt curl around her and back out again, "I love the fabric, it feels like I'm wearing hardly anything at all!"

The white-furred hedgehog could only stare, mesmerized by both the vision of loveliness before him and the guilty-pleasure thought that she had inadvertently planted in his head (_'Wearing…nothing…'_). He coughed curtly to cover his momentary loss of cognitive brain-function, "Told you it'd look amazing on you…" he smiled shyly.

"And it's not all that expensive either," she said, flipping the price tag on the hem over in her hand, "I'm _so_ tempted to just wear it right out of the store."

"Let me get it for you," Silver offered quickly, placing a hand in his pocket to make sure he had his wallet with him.

She glanced up at him, "Oh, I couldn't let you…you…you'd really do that?" she asked, smiling in surprise.

"Yeah, of course," he responded in earnest, his hands held behind his back anxiously, "It's no trouble…"

"You are seriously the best _ever_!" she cried, closing the gap between them to hug him lightly, "Thank you!!"

He blushed, but took the opportunity to hug her back softly, grinning with an almost childlike glee, "My pleasure," he assured her bashfully, "Anything for the prettiest girl in the 11th grade…"

"Oh, stop it," she said, punching him gently in the arm as she pulled away, "You're gonna spoil me, you know."

_'If that's what it takes…'_ He let her slip from his grasp unhindered, "Impossible," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Okay, lemme change and then we'll go check out," she said brightly, dashing back into the stall.

"Kay," he nodded, resuming the uncomfortable activity of waiting outside the women's dressing rooms, an activity that garnered him more than a few odd looks from the other female shop patron's passing by (particularly the human ones).

Thankfully, in her excitement Amy was out again in just a short moment, back in her jeans and T-shirt, with the sundress over one arm. "Okay, all set. You really don't mind?" she asked, hugging the garment to her chest.

"No, not at all," he laughed, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and giving her a short squeeze, "It's my pleasure."

She let out a girlish squeal. "Yay!"

Silver merely smiled contentedly as the pair walked up towards the front of the store. Now this was more how he had always hoped things would be…

* * *

"What is he doing now?" Decoe whispered.

"He is still just stocking shelves as the assistant manager instructed," Bocoe answered, peeking around the endcap of aisle 14.

"Not loafing or making inefficient usage of time as most living creatures are apt to do?" the tall, golden robot inquired, quite puzzled.

"No," the silver droid replied, shaking his head, "This is not what I expected at all. He does not seem to enjoy the work, but he's doing it rather well."

"Quite unusual…"

"Perhaps the manager was not so unwise in hiring him after all…"

"You two realize I can hear you, right?" Shadow called irritably over his shoulder as he pushed frigid containers of milk into their proper places in the freezer.

Both bots straightened up, arms flailing frantically as they stammered out overlapping apologies.

"Terribly sorry, sir!"

"We meant no disrespect, you understand!"

"It's just that we've never seen such a work ethic –"

" – in a live being, that is –"

"– aside from the manager himself…"

"It's a job," the hedgehog frowned, his breath materializing as steam before him due to the cold storage unit, "I just figure middle manager big-nose'll notice if I don't actually do anything…"

"He has a point…" Bocoe said.

"For one without an electronically engineered brain, your logic is impressive," Decoe told him.

"Um…thanks, I think," Shadow said, not quite sure whether or not to feel complimented or insulted, "So, are you two on a coffee break or something?" he asked, ripping the tape off the now empty box next to him in order to flatten in.

"Sadly, we were not built with the capacity to ingest _anything,_" the silver bot sighed, though his rotund metal midsection seemed a cruel irony if such was the case.

"We have a motion detector implanted that alerts us to customers approaching the front lanes," the gold one explained, tapping the side of his head with one finger, "So when it gets slow we can venture away without worry of missing anyone. And well, forgive us, but we were merely curious to see how you were doing."

"The manager instructed us to make you feel welcome, but etiquette and protocol are not our primary functions," the other added.

"And cash register operation is?" the living being asked, snorting derisively as he pulled another box off the tub sitting in the aisle beside him.

"Er…well, actually –"

Decoe cut Bocoe off, "Sad but true, I'm afraid. We have a few other useful functions such as machine maintenance and such, but the manager built us mainly for customer service."

"The doc's certainly got a lotta time on his hands, doesn't he?" the hedgehog said, shaking his head as he began to fill up shelf space with orange juice cartons.

"I suppose so…"

"Having a little powwow are we ladies…?" The all-too familiar droll cut through the air as Snively rounded the nearest corner.

"Middle manager, perhaps you are confused…" Decoe began slowly, as if he were speaking with a child.

"Yes, we've discussed this before," Bocoe agreed, nodding fervently, "As robots, we're really neither male or female…"

The human sighed, "Back to your posts please, both of you. Stop bothering the new hire."

"Yes sir," they both bowed obediently, turning about-face and heading back up the aisle towards the front of the store ("I still say he's confused." "Agreed- we must speak more slowly next time…").

Grimacing in frustration, Snively turned towards Shadow. "Getting along alright?"

The hedgehog nodded, "Just fine," he paused, considering his next words carefully, "Those two seemed curious about the fact that I wasn't a droid," he remarked, setting the second empty box down next to the first one, "And I've noticed very few- scratch that, _zero_- other living employees around here besides you and the doctor. I could understand that if this was a factory or a multibillion dollar corporation, but seeing as this is a grocery store and all…" he trailed off, raising an eye-ridge at Snively, "It's just…odd, that's all."

The tiny man nodded. He'd known _this_ was coming – only a complete fool wouldn't notice. "Uncle Julian never was what you would call…a 'people person'…" he stated.

"Even considering the hassle of scheduling and pay, disgruntled employees would still probably be cheaper than bots, even if you built them yourself, wouldn't it?" Shadow insisted suspiciously.

Snively met his gaze evenly. "We did have hired help at one point, but Uncle Julian fazed them out one by one, each time he built a new droid. Once you get to know them, you'll be able to tell which ones are the first generation and so on up to the newest."

"I see…" Shadow nodded slowly, still not entirely convinced.

"Mm-hmm…" the human said, "Anyway, I actually came over here to tell you you're free to go, if you so choose…"

"Finally," the black-furred exhaled in relief, "You might wanna get one'a those big, brainless bots to finish this up before it melts," he said, jerking a thumb back at the tub behind him.

"It'll be taken care of, not to worry," Snively said, waving one hand dismissively, "Don't forget to clock out."

"Right," the humanoid replied, cracking his neck back and forth once as he headed back towards the store's lone office, "Erm, have a good night," he added as an afterthought.

Taken slightly aback at the courtesy, the human nodded, "You as well."

* * *

"Hey, hey, watch the hands, pal!"

Sally bit back a giggle as the tailor struggled to measure the squirming hedgehog's inseam. "The more fuss you make, the longer this is gonna take, you know," she said.

He frowned, making a feeble attempt to stand still (which did nothing to alleviate the sense that he was being violated), "Sorry, yer Highness, I'm just not used to being groped in order to get a set of clothes…"

She rolled her eyes._'Yet he wouldn't have had any qualms about mutual gropage in my bedroom before…'_ "He'll be finished in just a minute, then you'll be free, I promise."

"Fine, fine," he conceded, glancing suspiciously down at the tailor, "Let's get this over with…"

Another awkward moment of being wrapped in odd places with a tape measure and the human stepped back. "This shouldn't be too difficult," he said, turning towards Sally, "We'll have it ready for him in about an hour."

"Perfect," she said, hopping down from her seat on the vanity table, "Thanks again for doing this on such short notice."

The exasperated human male took a deep breath, then released it slowly, "Of course, ma'am, it was no trouble at all," With a short, courteous inclination of his head, he exited the room.

"Really now, was that _so_ difficult?" the chipmunk asked, hands on her hips.

"I still say my idea was better," he retorted, hopping down off the stepstool, brushing a bit of dust off his arms.

"Uh-huh," she said, "Well, thank you for being so patient," she added, leaning in to kiss his cheek, "I've gotta get my hair done, which takes way longer than anything so trivial really should, so if you don't want to hang around for that, I understand. There's an entertainment system up one floor if you'd rather explore that."

"Staying in one place- away from you, that is- seems like a pretty good way to get thrown out by your dad," he said with a laugh, following her out into the hallway, "Still, it's a pretty big mansion ya got here…Mind if I have a look around?"

"Sure," she nodded, "Have fun. I'll catch up with you in a bit."

"Alright; we'll see if an hour of prep can somehow make you even more beautiful," he replied flatteringly. The hedgehog pecked her lightly on the cheek, then turned on his heel and began walking in the opposite direction, his hands held in his pockets, "Later."

"Bye," she said, waving after him before turning in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Ah, there's my favorite adoptive brother!" Julian Kintobor boomed jovially, looking up from the paperwork strewn across his desk, "Finished already?"

"For the day, yes sir," Shadow said, crossing to the still-layered-with-dust time-clock, "Unless there was anything else you needed."

"Well, nothing work related, really" the doctor admitted slowly, "But I was wondering if you'd made any plans for tomorrow…"

The hedgehog finished fiddling with the wall-mounted device and looked up, "No, not really…just homework I suppose. Why?"

"How does a round of golf tomorrow morning with Snively and myself sound?" the human asked brightly, standing up from his seat to stretch, "Sort of a 'Welcome to Egman's' gesture, if you will."

"Golf?" Shadow blanched, "Um, well…I'm sort of grounded…"

"Oh, pish-posh!" Robotnik laughed, waving a hand dismissively at the hedgehog, "I'll call grandfather and take care of that minor irritant."

"Uh, right…but, er, I don't have any sort of equipment…"

"That's no trouble," the other countered again, determined not to take 'no' for an answer, his gaze focused on the door to his office (where Snively was entering), "You can use Snively's clubs, and he can be our caddy!"

The hedgehog glanced over at the doorway, "Um…I really wouldn't want to impose…" he said slowly, watching the smaller human's brow furrow in annoyance.

"Come now, Shadow, you're family!" Julian laughed, walking around his desk to sling an arm around the humanoid's shoulders, "He wouldn't be an imposition at all, would he, Snively?" he asked, his light tone belaying the cold stare he was focusing on his nephew.

Forcing a smile that looked much more like a grimace, Snively shook his head, "Of course not, sir…"

"There, you see?" Dr. Kintobor smiled, patting Shadow on the back.

Steeling himself against the physical content (a concept with which, aside from Maria, he was generally uncomfortable with), the hedgehog nodded, "Alright then, if it's okay with him…should I come here tomorrow or…?"

Julian shook his head dismissively, "We'll be over to pick you around, say, 10:30?"

"Sure…I'll see you both then, I guess," he said weakly. _'How the hell did I just let this happen??'_

"Excellent!" the grocer grinned, releasing the hedgehog, "We'll see you then! Have a good night!"

"Right…you too," he managed as he shuffled out the door, still slightly dazed._'Eighteen holes with those two…'_

Robotnik waited a moment (to be sure the hedgehog was out of earshot), then rounded on his nephew, "Would it kill you to be a little more enthusiastic?"

"Forgive me, sir," Snively said dryly, "But I hadn't realized that your courting the boy meant my being knocked down so far in the ranks."

"Oh stop whining," Julian snapped, rolling his eyes, "Do you want the unstoppable death machine on our side or not?"

The younger human sighed, "Of course…"

"Then suck it up and start practicing your caddying skills," the doctor said evenly, settling back down into the chair at his desk.

Scowling, Snively exited the room again, muttering under his breath as he went.

Robotnik merely shook his head in exasperation, turning his attention back to the papers on his desk.

* * *

_'Jeezus this place is huge…'_ Sonic thought as he wandered down what seemed like the thousandth endless hallway. He'd tried simply walking into rooms at random, but results were the same: one room led to another (or a closet that was merely the size of a room), which then led to another corridor. Still, each room was at least interesting, so being lost really wasn't too bad. From lavishly decorated sitting rooms, to an indoor pool (he didn't linger there very long), to the entertainment center Sally had described, filled with state-of-the-art technology. He'd run into several different servants, both human and humanoid, including (just moments ago) the elderly butler who'd taken a dislike to him yesterday. Rather than wait for him to go fetch Father Acorn for a mayoral hedgehog-evicting, Sonic slipped into the nearest room, closing the door behind him.

He glanced around, taking in the new scenery. Judging by the enormous windows spanning one entire wall, this room once must've been a sunroom, but the disorganized, overstuffed bookshelves on the left side of the room and the desk with the laptop sitting atop it opposite them indicated pretty clearly that this was now an office. His eyes settled on the couch in front of the windows, where a female, chipmunk-humanoid was resting, a magazine covering her face, _'Izzat Sal? …No, couldn't be…'_ An ornate, gold-rimmed picture frame on the topmost bookshelf showed what looked remarkably like Sally, dressed up beautifully in a white wedding dress, standing next to a smart-looking, slightly taller male chipmunk.

Sonic smirked, _'Ah, this must be mom then…'_ "Sal never told me she had an older sister…" he commented, leaning against the wall next to the door, the light from the fading afternoon sun discoloring most of the room in a red-orange glow and giving his deep-blue fur a lighter tinge.

Alicia hooked a thumb under the spine of the magazine and lifted it up off of her face. When she couldn't find the source of the voice with that little effort, she forced herself to sit up and glance around. "Sonic Hedgehog, I presume?" she asked, as her gaze fell on the blue-furred teen.

"Yes ma'am," he smiled, standing up straighter and walking forward, so he was fully in the light, "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but Sally said I could explore a little…"

"Not at all," she shook her head, "Just resting my eyes before the party tonight."

"Sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself last night, but I didn't see you anywhere- and I think I would've noticed…" Sonic continued, sitting down on the armrest of the chair across from her couch, smiling in what he hoped was a charming manner (with any luck he could convince mom to like him before dad arrived).

"I was out of the country last night, actually," she replied, returning his smile, "But my husband insisted I come back early after your romantic escapades with my daughter last night."

"Guess I made quite an impression," he said smoothly, leaning back slightly on the armrest, "So, what'd 'the date from hell' (as I'm sure our fine mayor has dubbed me) end up dragging the world-famous Alicia Acorn away from?" he asked with a chuckle, raising an eye-ridge at her curiously.

"The coronation of Prince Len of Asiatica," she answered, "Which my editor was none too pleased about – but he'll get over it."

"Of course he will- who could stay mad at such a vision of loveliness for long?"

She grinned. Sure it was shameless flattery, but who didn't love shameless flattery once in a while? "So Sally told me all about your adventure last night – you've got quite a gift, young man."

"Thanks," he smirked, now standing behind the couch, his arms resting on the back cushions (in a motion too fast for the untrained eye to follow), "I'm just glad she had a good time."

"So am I," the chipmunk said, "It's been quite a while since I've seen her so excited about anything outside of school."

There was a sharp series of raps on the office door, "Your husband, on the other hand, didn't quite seem to take to me…" he stated casually.

She leaned forward on the couch and called towards the door, "Yes?"

"Dear, Nigel tells me the spikehead is wandering around our house unsupervised," came Mayor Acorn's voice, muffled a bit from the door, "Have you seen him?"

Alicia turned towards Sonic, who was looking rather crestfallen at the use of the slur, "Really Max, that sort of language isn't necessary – especially when we have guests."

"…Is he in there with you?" Maximillian thundered incredulously.

"The door's not locked. See for yourself," she said, motioning for Sonic to join her on the couch (where she could more easily place herself between the boy and her husband).

He did as he was told, his hands folded behind his head and one leg crossed over the other. As a humanoid, one had to have thick skin in order to be able to deal with the constant barrage of slander from the human population, but it was less expected from a fellow humanoid. Over the years, Sonic had found the easiest way to deal with such situations was to merely act as if it didn't affect him- which, in his case, meant assuming his usual, cocky demeanor.

The door to the office opened quickly, revealing Mobotropolis' mayor and what appeared to be the two largest men on his secret service detail, "Hello dear," he started pleasantly, ignoring the hedgehog for the moment.

"Good afternoon," she replied, hands folded in her lap, "Something I can do for you?"

"Oh no, we're just here to escort some uninvited guests off the premises," Max replied, gesturing for his two enforcers to step into the room.

"Hate to break it to ya, pops," Sonic spoke up smugly, "But I actually _was_ invited…"

"…What?" the male chipmunk asked darkly.

"I had meant to tell you earlier, actually," Alicia spoke up, "He's been added to the guest list for tonight as Sally's escort."

Max spluttered for a moment, his disbelief almost beyond words, "Dear…" he managed, in a tiny, strained voice, grinding his teeth together beneath his tight lips, "May I speak with you outside for a moment, please…?"

"Certainly," she rose from her seat, "Excuse me, Sonic, I'll be right back."

"Take your time," he smiled, lying down on the now-vacant couch and closing his eyes.

She nodded and then let her husband usher her into the hall, then stood with her arms folded as the door shut behind them, eyeing her husband curiously._'That vein in his temple sure is getting a workout these days…'_

"I thought you said you were going to talk to Sally about this!" he hissed angrily the instant the door was closed.

"I did," she said, "And she seems to really like this boy, Max – what was I supposed to do?"

"Tell her not to see him anymore, for starters!!"

"Oh honestly, this isn't the stone ages, and I'm certainly not going to be the bad cop when it comes to boys – especially ones as charming as this," she said, "He's quite the gentleman from what I've seen."

"…You slept through _everything_ I said last night, didn't you?" he asked accusingly, still quite livid.

"_No_, and I even gave up sleeping on the plane in order read through his records. And while I admit, it's not as clean as I'd like, I just don't think he's as bad as you think," she said, "And you and I both know Sally's a good judge of character. I think this is one of those times where we're going to have to trust her…"

"Dear, the first thing she told me about him- enthusiastically, I might add- was that he'd gotten into a fight the day before yesterday," Max implored pleadingly, hoping to still somehow win his wife to his cause. It wasn't that he didn't trust Sally, but ever since he'd decided to do so when she was five (a situation that ended with several broken lamps and a severe singeing of his favorite briefcase), the concept still made him uneasy…

"So he's a bit rough around the edges," she shrugged, "I say we give him a chance, at least for tonight. I mean, in a situation that public, what could he possibly do?"

"In front of dozens of important campaign contributors, business moguls, and the high-society socialites of Mobotropolis? Why nothing, of course, how silly of me!"

She frowned, "Max, you're getting hysterical…"

He took a deep breath, then released it, his shoulders slumped, "I've got to get the boy to move back in; I'm too outnumbered here. I could handle the boy…"

Smiling pityingly, Alicia reached out to grasp her husband by the shoulders. "You're doing just fine with the girl, too – it's just time to relax and step back a little bit. Because you know the more you fight this, the more she's going to want it."

"Wasn't there some time period where a father's disapproval was enough for his daughter?" he inquired, drawing his wife in close to embrace her (for emotional support). It was hard spending everyday fighting real, honest-to-God losing battles, only to arrive home and find more waiting for him…

"Those days passed when our parents were teens," she reminded him, stroking his head-fur gently with one hand, "If you recall, my father never really approved of you – 'no ambition', I think were his exact words."

"Ornery old bastard…" Max snorted, "Sally knows there're going to be ground rules if she's going to be seeing this hedgehog in the future, yes?"

"I'm sure she expects it," she nodded, "And if you approach her about it rationally, she'll be more than willing to comply."

He nodded, then glanced over his wife's shoulder, puzzled, "Where is she, anyway? Still getting ready?"

"I think so," she said, "Now might be a good time to go speak to her, actually."

"Alright- and you'll deal with him, then?"

"Sure," she said, grinning, "Anything specific you'd like me to tell him?"

"If he touches my daughter, he should expect to lose a hand."

"I'll sharpen the hatchet then, shall I?" she said, trying not to laugh.

"I love you," he smiled, finally releasing her. He straightened up and smoothed out his suit, "Okay, I'll see you in a bit."

"You bet," she said, turning back towards the door, "Good luck."

"Thanks, you too." With that, he turned and headed back down the hall, towards his daughter's room.

She pushed the door open and reentered the study, smiling in amusement at the hedgehog sprawled across her couch. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah- Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum here are givin' me some great shade too," Sonic spoke up, his eyes still closed, jerking a thumb towards the two large, brutish security guards standing behind the couch, scowling down at the humanoid.

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten about them," she said, glancing up at the men, "Stevenson, Thomas, you're free to go back to your regular duties. Sorry to keep you for so long."

"Yes ma'am," both the bodyguards nodded, exiting the room swiftly and silently.

"So, am I still on the guest list for tonight?" Sonic inquired casually, his tone masking the bit of unease he felt, "Or better yet, am I still a citizen of the country?"

She laughed, "Both, I'm pleased to say."

"You da man, Mrs. A."

"Indeed, I am," she said, grinning, "Now scoot over. I've still got some time before I've got to go in for hair and makeup, and I'd like to continue the conversation we were having about my daughter before we were interrupted."

"Kay," he nodded, sitting up to make room on the couch for her.

"So I got a pretty detailed description of the evening when I spoke to her this morning, and I have a _very_ good idea of what she thinks of you at this point," she said once she had settled down next to him, "But I'm curious as to what you think of her – as my husband has implied in a rather roundabout way, she doesn't exactly seem like your type."

Sonic tugged at his shirt collar lightly, forcing himself to sit up a bit straighter and pay closer attention. _'And here I thought only Knux bothered me about shit like this; I've only known her for two days!' _"Well, I've actually only known Sal since yesterday, so I don't really know all that well yet- certainly not like you do, anyway," he started cautiously, choosing his words carefully, as he wasn't entirely sure how much he could get away with saying in front of a parent, "But I can see why the Mayor's so protective of her: she's a helluva lot smarter than me, sassy (must get that from you, right?), and smokin'- …er, really pretty."

Alicia smiled, "Which she also gets from me, right?"

"Well obviously," he grinned back, winking at her.

"Good answer," she told him, resolving to let the conversation topic drop off there, as the boy was obviously less than comfortable with it.

* * *

"How was work?" Maria asked, not looking up from her book as she heard the front door open and close.

Shadow sighed, slumping down on the couch next to her, "Boring as all hell…" he groaned, leaning up against his sister, "And get this: tomorrow, I have to go golfing with them…"

"Golfing?" she echoed, "Oh man, I'm sorry…"

He let his head fall down onto her shoulder pitiably, "Golf..."

She set the book down and wrapped an arm around him, pressing her cheek against the top of his head, "It might not be so… well, okay no, it'll probably be terrible…"

"At 10:30 in the frickin' morning too! That means I'll probably have to have lunch with them…"

"Yikes," she said, "You know, if any of this sounded like fun, I might actually be jealous that my own brother seems to want to spend more time with you than he does with me…."

"Lucky you," the hedgehog smirked, sitting up once more, "So, what'cha reading?"

"_Primary Genetics_," she answered, "I found it in Papa's study when I was dusting."

He raised an eye-ridge at her incredulously, "Sounds like a blast; when's dinner?"

"I guess as soon as I make it," she laughed, "What're you in the mood for?"

"Meat. Red meat…"

"Of course," she said, shaking her head, "I think we've got some of that in the freezer – but whatever I make is gonna be done medium-well. Rare isn't good for you."

"What's the point of eating meat if you can't taste the blood?" he asked, grinning wickedly, his teeth bared purposely.

"Oh don't be gross," she said, giving him a shove as she got up from the couch.

He smiled, his eyes following her for a second as she headed towards the kitchen. Perhaps it was his animal ancestry (the only logical explanation he could think of) that made meat taste so damn good- Maria was an excellent cook, but she just didn't understand the pleasure that was raw meat: the savory flavor of blood dribbling down his chin, staining his pearly whites as he ripped it bit by bit from the twitching, writhing body of his dying prey-

"Shadow? Hey," Maria called from the living room doorway, waving a hand at him, "Did you hear me?"

The hedgehog's head snapped up suddenly in surprise, "…Huh?" he asked, wiping away a bit of saliva from the corner of his mouth with the back of his left glove.

"I said, we've got burgers or steak," she said, watching him curiously, "Which would you rather have?"

_'When the hell did I start drooling?'_ he thought worriedly, sitting on his left hand, "Whichever easier for you to make," he answered automatically.

"Okay, burgers it is then," she said, "Why don't you get a shower, and I'll get then started."

He nodded slowly, standing up uneasily, as if unsure of his footing, "Okay…"

"You'll feel better afterwards," she told him, eyeing him warily as he drew closer, "Wash off all that 'work grime' and all."

"Right," he said, heading slowly off towards the stairs.

"You okay?" she asked, trailing after him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright…" he mumbled, trudging slowly up the stairs.

"Okay…" she said, turning off towards the kitchen.

He paused at the top of the step, turning back towards her, "You sure you said something after you went into the kitchen?" he asked cautiously.

"Uh-huh," she nodded, twisting around to look up at him again, "I asked about dinner, but you didn't hear me – looked like you were daydreaming…"

_'Daydreaming? I don't remember that…'_ "But I-…okay…" he stated (sounding rather unconvinced), running a hand over his bleary eyes as he continued up to the second floor.

"Get a shower," she told him, "Clear the cobwebs that work put in your head."

Shadow said nothing, now lost in his confused, troubled mind, _'If she'd said something, I would've heard it…'_ he assured himself, pushing the incident from his mind.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Boy," Locke said, pushing the door to his son's room open without so much as a knock (privacy was a privilege, not a right – the boy was lucky he let him keep it closed!), "In fifteen minutes I'm starting the car. You'd better be in it by then."

"Yes sir," Knuckles said automatically, his heartbeat quickening from the surprise of his father's sudden entry, adjusting his black, silk bowtie, "No limo tonight?" he inquired cautiously.

"You know I hate those things," the elder said stiffly, hands folded behind his back, "Makes me look like I don't know how to drive. We stand on our own two feet, not on ceremony."

"For a guardian never rests," Knuckles finished, taking his words from the motto of his father's enormous company, GuardianCorp.

"That's right,' Locke said, nodding curtly, coming to stand imposingly behind his son, the resemblance between them in their reflections in the teen's full-length mirror uncanny, "Fifteen minutes. And get these damn things out of your face," he said, yanking on his son's dreadlocks, "You look like a hoodlum."

The younger echidna winced in pain, but didn't object, "Yes sir," he managed weakly.

Without another word, the bearded echidna exited the room.

Knuckles closed the door softly behind his father, then hurried to find something (a rubber band, etc.) to tie up his dreadlocks in.

* * *

"Somehow I knew I'd find both of you in here," Sally said, poking her head around the door to her mother's study.

"Hey Sal," Sonic grinned, standing up from his seat on the couch, "Big house ya got here."

"You get used to it," she shrugged as she entered the room, "They're ready for you in hair and makeup, Mom."

"Thanks, sweetie," the elder chipmunk smiled, standing up as well. She walked over towards the door, mouthing 'I-like-him' to her daughter as she passed by, "See you both in a bit."

"Yep," Sally nodded, grinning as she turned back to Sonic, "Hi again."

"Hey," he returned the greeting pleasantly, his eyes flicking up and down her figure quickly before settling on her now ornately-arranged head fur (which was complimented nicely by a subtle but pretty make-up job), "Well don't you look snazzy all glitzed and glammed up?"

She blushed, "Thanks. It takes forever, but for special occasion I can sit through it. So um…it seems you were a pretty big hit with my mom."

"Well, she managed to keep yer dad from throwing me out- that's a start," he smirked, hooking his thumbs on the corners of his pants pockets as he shifted weight from foot to foot (if only to keep himself moving- he'd never been very good at staying still for too long).

"Yes it is," she said, then motioned towards the door, "We should probably go get dressed. The other guests will be arriving soon."

"Kay," he said, following after her without complaint (and really, who could complain about such a nice view anyway?).

* * *

"So, who's still got money for dinner?" Charmy asked with a laugh, glancing back at the rest of his little pack of friends, all of which (aside from Silver) carrying their purchases from a day of mall wandering.

"I dunno," Tails said, digging through his pockets for his wallet, "With all the snacking we did between stores, I might not even have _room_ for dinner."

"Better not tell your mom that," Silver chuckled, shaking his head in mock-disapproval at the fox-humanoid.

They all shared a laugh at that, then Charmy stopped in his tracks. "Well I hope you have room left for awesomeness, cuz look what we almost missed," he said, pointing across the street, where the local arcade was blinking a dozen different colors enticingly.

"Dude!! Hell yeah I have room for awesomeness!" Tails exclaimed, his eyes widening gleefully, "Race ya!" he said quickly to the bee-humanoid, dashing off towards the arcade, weaving deftly through the busy creature traffic of the mall as he went.

"No fair getting a head start!" Charmy called, tearing off behind him, tiny translucent wings giving him just enough of a boost to catch up.

Silver merely grinned at their antics- a year or two ago, he would've been right there alongside them, but now…well, given present company…his priorities had shifted slightly, that's all. He looked over at Amy shyly, "You wanna go watch them play skeeball and wack-a-mole for half an hour?" he inquired jokingly.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind getting something to eat," she said, smiling in a way that (unbeknownst to her) had the habit of melting him on the spot, "I bet they wouldn't even miss us."

"Nah, I doubt it," he agreed, only his enamored stare revealing any subtle hint of the deep-seated affection he felt for her, "Not with so many quarters burning holes in their pockets."

"Alright then," she said, continuing on down the path the whole group had been taking only moments before, "Let's go find something then. We'll be back before they even realize we've gone."

"Okay," he agreed eagerly, following after her hurriedly.

* * *

"Wow, that looks great on you!" Sally gushed as she came around the partition that split the 'dressing room' they were in, the skirt of her blue silk evening gown flowing behind her, "Now I remember why we pay them so much…"

Sonic smoothed out his crisp, freshly constructed, midnight black tuxedo a bit, staring at himself in the mirror, then twisted the top half of his body around to face her, "Bond. James Bond," he quoted suavely, putting on his best 'debonair' smile.

"Should've seen that one coming," she giggled, "Really though, you clean up nice," she said, letting her eyes travel his sleek form for just a moment before settling on his face again.

"You expected otherwise?" he asked in mock-indignation, stepping forward to plant a kiss on her cheek, "You look frickin' hot, by the way."

Flustered, but choosing to take the compliment for what it was rather than get hung up on the wording, she flashed a confident smile of her own, "Thank you. Guess I really fit the 'Princess' title now, huh?"

"Dust off the diamond-encrusted tiara I'm sure you've got hiding in your room-sized closet somewhere and you'd be all set."

She laughed, "I think I'll have to go searching for that another time. We should probably head to the ballroom."

He nodded once, offering her his arm, "Care to lead the way?"

"With pleasure," she said, taking it and striding briskly out of the room.

As they passed through one hallway after another, Sonic cast a glance out the line of windows through which the evening sun was spilling. _'Boy, they weren't kiddin' about this thing…'_ he thought as he caught sight of the marathon of vehicles working their way through the front gates and up the circular driveway.

Noticing his somewhat awed expression, Sally followed his gaze out the window and said, "Quite a turnout, huh?"

"Must be half the rich people in Mobotropolis out there…" Sonic said, whistling softly, "And we get to be 'announced' to 'em all?"

"To them, and probably a representative of every form of media too," she answered, "They're never on the guest list, but they always find a way in."

He let out a short snigger, "Ah well- I work best in a spotlight anyway."

"Never would've guessed," she said, though her smile faded slightly, "I don't think I'll ever really get used to it."

He paused, slowing to a stop as they arrived at a large set of double doors, watching her curiously. In the background of the small waiting room, several servants were bustling about in an even-paced, anxious but efficient manner, each dressed up smartly in identical suits. Sonic scuffed the toe of stylish, bright red shoe against the tiling, his hands held in his pockets contemplatively. Was this really the composed, intelligent, class president, mayor's daughter admitting…uncertainty, weakness? "Well, Dad can't stay Mayor forever, right?"

"That's true…" she said quietly, brushing a hair-sprayed curl out of her face, "It sounds terrible, and I should be happier he's been so successful, but I liked it better when Mom was the only famous parent I had…"

It was hard to console someone when you didn't know them that well, but Sonic was well-versed in the general science of female comforting. He stepped forward confidently, "Sal…" he said quietly, moving in a bit closer to her, _'Dammit, she's taller than I am again!'_ "That dress and fancy make-up are gonna be quite an expensive waste if they don't have that infectious smile of yours to brighten 'em…"

There was that sincerity in his voice again, the same tone that had asked her to trust him the night before and she raised her head, meeting his eye. Intense, sparkling green eyes that held only a fraction of the mischievousness his reputation had lead her to expect. "Thanks," she told him, the corners of her mouth curling upwards automatically.

"Madam?" the stuffy, accented voice of Sally's elderly butler Nigel (who was standing several feet away) interrupted the moment, "They're ready for you now; your mother and father will be along in a few moments…"

"Oh, r-right," she stammered, straightening up as she turned towards the human, "Thank you, Nigel, we're all set."

"Excellent," Nigel bowed courteously, trying not to stare disapprovingly at his mistress' beau's outlandish footwear and attention-grabbing blue spikes, "I'll alert Mr. Falwell, the presenter…"

"Okay," she nodded, then began fussing with her dress (which really didn't need it) anxiously, before turning back towards Sonic, "This is it."

"Yup," he agreed, grinning as he adjusted his bowtie, "Wonder if Knux'll be jealous that we get a fancy intro and he doesn't?"

She laughed, "Knuckles never struck me as the 'thrives in the spotlight' type."

"Doesn't know what he's missing," Sonic chuckled. Outside the doors, a deep, booming, dignified voice droned over the soft buzz of the crowded ballroom: _"Ladies and Gentlemen of Mobotropolis, it is with great honor that I now present to you: Ms. Sally Acorn and Mr. Sonic Hedgehog!"_

Amid the rise of polite applause, the doors swung slowly open and for a moment both were blinded by the bright lights of the ballroom. As the pair stepped forward on the landing, the butterflies in Sally's stomach made themselves known as they always did, without fail, at every public appearance she made. She paused at the edge, gazing out at the crowd, heart pounding, and then she felt Sonic's hand on her back, nudging her gently and she stepped down, beginning her slow descent into the realm of the aristocracy.

"There, you see?" Alicia Acorn whispered to her husband as they waited in the shadows of the waiting room, "A perfectly fine entrance." Beside her, Max merely scowled.

Sonic smirked just slightly, _'Heh, after all this time in the limelight, she's still shy…Well, maybe I can help ease some'a that tension a little…'_ He let his hand drift away until only his fingertips were touching her back, then his appendage began to move slowly downwards, brushing along her as it came to settle on the base of her tail.

With the spotlight glaring down and every head in the room turned up at them, Sally could only let out the tiniest squeak of surprise, but the color rushing to her face was enough to give away exactly how she felt. He was massaging her tail with his thumb and her knees were going weak with the sensation. And the worst part was, in her current position the only acceptable option was to let him continue.

"I'll _kill_ him!" the Mayor whispered fiercely, his eyes blazing.

"Easy…" Alicia said, one hand on his chest, "Murder in public would look _terrible_ in the polls."

"But he's-! Do you see what he's-?"

"All too clearly," she muttered, "And it's nothing you never pulled on me when we were younger."

Sonic grinned, waving lazily with his free hand towards the general crowd, his thumb still stroking her tail slowly, _'God she has a cute tail…'_

_'I'm gonna wind up falling down these stairs if he doesn't cool it…'_ she moaned inwardly, reaching up to grasp his arm in what she hoped was a smooth, non-desperate motion.

His eyes darted back towards her quickly, noticing the color in her cheeks for the first time. He smirked, satisfied, then linked his right arm with her left as they made their way down the last few stairs. Behind them, the announcer was already at work again, presenting Sally's parents.

As their names echoed through the room, Sally didn't dare glance back, glad for the moment just to be able to get her breathing back to normal. She didn't want to worry about what sort of violent action her father was planning to take against the hedgehog if his actions had been as obvious as they had felt.

Much less concerned about whatever repercussions the future might hold for him (in fact, the thought hadn't even crossed his mind), Sonic finally managed to spot Knuckles towards the back of the crowd, seemingly hoping to blend in with the mass of upper-class citizenry. _'No Rouge with him? What the hell, man?'_ he thought in both confusion and disappointment, waving once in the echidna's general direction.

Knowing full-well the gesture was meant for him, Knuckles ducked his head shyly, raising his own hand half-heartedly.

A foot or so behind him, Locke Echidna joined in the polite applause. Normally he would've admonished his son for acknowledging his lout of a friend in such a public forum, but at the moment his attention was focused intently on Mayor Acorn.

* * *

"Hold still," Amy said, leaning across the table, one hand nearing Silver's face.

He blushed softly, lowering the paper soda cup in his hand back down onto the grey, plastic, somewhat sticky tabletop, obeying her directive as best he could, _'Why can't I ever get through a single damn meal without spilling something on myself? God, I _knew_ I'd find a way to screw this up…'_

Brow knitted in concentration, she dragged her thumb across his mouth, catching a smudge of ketchup and removing it from the fine, downy fur that covered his muzzle. "There ya go," she said, smiling in triumph.

"Th-Thanks…" he mumbled embarrassedly, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand, "Happens more often than I'd like, unfortunately…"

"Eh, it happens to all of us," she said, "Don't worry about it."

He smiled shyly, "Doesn't make it any less embarrassing…"

"Well, it's just me here," she reminded him, winking, "So don't lose too much sleep over it."

_'If only you knew…'_ He chuckled half-heartedly, picking up his mostly-finished burger and taking another (much more careful) bite, "Sorry you didn't get a chance to work on those designs you were showing me the other day- guess we kinda messed up those plans with this little impromptu trip, huh?"

"Ah, it's no biggie," she said, shaking her head, "I had a lot more fun spending the day with you guys than I would've had being by myself at home."

"Your blog readers will be wondering what happened to you," he grinned, hoping to mask his cautious approach of what he was sure was a rather touchy subject for the pink hedgehog with his typically friendly demeanor.

She blushed, "They'll live. And when I do get back, I'll have plenty to tell them."

"Yeah? Good things?" he asked hopefully, covering his mouth with his napkin as he swallowed the last bit of his meal.

"Sure," she said brightly, "Like how I've got the best friends ever and how they spoil me rotten when I'm feeling down. Heck, I can even take some pictures of myself in that dress to post up."

"That might raise the 'views' total a bit," he replied, blushing unintentionally as he fondly recalled the mental picture of Amy in her new dress, "I'm just glad you're feeling better."

"Me too," she said, taking a long sip of her soda before continuing, "Sorry I was such a downer last night…"

"Aw, it's no biggie," he assured her, crumpling up his napkin and tossing it onto his tray, "You think we should head over to the arcade, see if Tails and Charmy noticed we went missing yet?"

"Probably," she said, setting her empty soda down on the tray, "What would you like to do if they haven't?"

"Well…" he thought for a moment, using his mental powers to float their trash over into the nearest receptacle, "It's a little silly, but…sometimes I just like to watch the sunset, especially so close to night…"

Her head tilted to one side thoughtfully, "You know, I haven't done that in ages. I'd like that."

"Yeah?" he smiled excitedly, their tray nearly missing its mark on top of the garbage can as he neglected to give it enough of his attention. He stood up from his seat, offering her a gloved hand, "C'mon, let's go!"

"A-Alright," she stammered as she took his hand, pleasantly surprised at the enthusiasm as he led her out of the food court.

It only took a moment or two for the pair to get outside the mall, as the crowd had begun to thin a bit as the prime dining hours faded. Holding her hand in his with a gentle firmness, a shimmering, bright green glow enveloped the two hedgehogs. In the city, most of the citizens (if they took any time out of their busy schedules at all for such things) had to go to one of the few, pollution-encrusted, trash-littered parks to see any glimmer of the sun through the smog. Of course, most people were restricted to what they could see from the ground level…

Amy clasped her free hand around his arm to tighten her grip as their pair lifted off the sidewalk and up into the evening sky. "Where are we going?" she asked breathlessly, watching the evening traffic shrink beneath them.

"Just getting a better view, that's all," he replied confidently, soaring up even higher, his eyes roving about for a good perching spot.

She could only nod, as her voice had caught in her throat as she took everything in, pulling herself a little closer to him the higher they went.

Despite the strong, chilly Mobotropolis breeze whipping around them, Silver suddenly felt a bit hot under the collar due to her close proximity. He swallowed nervously as they reached the peaks of the lowest skyscrapers, _'A little higher should do it- the winds'll calm down, the view'll be better, and we'll have a little privacy too…'_

She let out a gasp of awe as they touched down again on the roof of the tallest building in the vicinity. "Oh wow…" she murmured, her grip on his arm not loosening as she gazed out at the skyline stretching out before them.

He smiled happily, gazing out at the slowly retreating, deep-orange sun, of which less than a quarter was still visible. The brilliant beams of sunlight were thankfully too low to be at eye-level, which could've ruined the entire experience, but as it was, the scenery was a spectacular sight to behold: the entire city was aglow with the ginger hue, giving it a more romantic, appropriately seasonally-themed atmosphere, "Gorgeous…" he agreed, though his attention was split between the sunset and the pink-furred humanoid clutching his arm.

"You do this often?" she asked.

"Not often enough," he responded evenly, "And never with such lovely company."

She flushed, suddenly realizing just how close they were standing. "You…you don't say?" she asked, laughing nervously as she let her grip loosen slowly.

"This is the first time I've ever taken anyone up here, actually…" he admitted, turning his head to gaze into her eyes.

She'd never given his eyes a close inspection before – golden as wheat, with green flecks around the irises (wide from the slowly retreating light source). "…Really?"

Silver nodded, "I was saving the experience for someone really special to me…" he continued timidly, his head moving an almost imperceptible fraction towards hers.

"Special?" she asked quietly, her head tilted upwards towards him, "Me?"

"Mm-hmm," he murmured, terrified at himself for even admitting this much, leaning in further still.

"I…I don't know what to say…" she stammered, frozen to the spot by his gaze.

"Well, m-maybe that…blue isn't the only color hedgehog you have room in your heart for…" he stuttered shyly, his face now mere inches from hers.

"Silver…" she said softly, their noses touching lightly, "I…"

"Told ya they'd be up here!" Tails shouted excitedly as he came bursting up onto the scene, blocking out the grand view of the sunset, his twin tails spinning rapidly to keep him elevated, "Charmy, they're over here!" he called over his shoulder loudly.

As Amy pulled away from Silver, the bee humanoid appeared, buzzing beside the fox. "Heya guys! You'll never believe the crap we won! What're you doin' way up here?"

_'Goddammit, I was_so_ close!'_ The white-furred hedgehog thought miserably, glaring daggers at Miles. He took a deep breath, then released it slowly, "Just watching the sunset…" he said pitiably.

"Huh?" Charmy spun around towards the horizon, "Oh yeah, there it goes, huh?"

"It's um, kinda getting late," Tails said, the guilt on his face incredibly blatant as he avoided eye-contact with the male hedgehog, "Maybe we should start heading home?"

"Yeah, sure…" Silver muttered bitterly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Are you okay, Amy? Yer face is all red…" the bee-humanoid inquired curiously, buzzing up close to the group's lone female.

"Uh, y-yeah, I'm fine, perfectly fine," she said rather quickly, though the color in her face deepened substantially, "L-lets just, um, head home then."

"Okay!" Charmy said cheerfully, flittering around Amy and back to where Tails was floating, blissfully ignorant of any of the tension beneath the even surface mood, "We gotta show you some of the stuff we won; where'd you guys disappear to anyway?"

"Went to get some dinner," Silver stated automatically, his and Amy's outlines glowing green once again as they began their descent back to the ground.

"Oh that's cool," he answered, pulling a paddleball from the hammer-loop on the right leg of his jeans.

"Yeah, cool…" the white-furred humanoid agreed dully, still watching Tails coldly.

* * *

"I thought I told you his ego didn't need boosting," Knuckles said, though his grin betrayed the annoyance in his tone as he extended his hand in greeting towards Sally.

"Couldn't be avoided," she replied, holding out her own hand gracefully and biting her tongue to keep from giggling as he bowed to kiss it.

"You seemed a little tense on the stairs there…" the echidna sniggered, releasing the chipmunk humanoid's hand.

"Yeah, I still have to catch him away from the crowd so I can smack him for that," she said, gazing across the room, where her hedgehog escort was busy schmoozing the socialites nearest the buffet table, "Though I should have expected that sort of behavior given his reputation."

"I'll bet your dad had a perfect view of the action too," Knuckles sighed, shaking his head in exasperation, "The dolt…"

"He'll be paying for it one way or another tonight, I'm sure," she said, arms folded across her chest.

Across the room, Sonic was (to his own great surprise) actually somewhat enjoying himself,_'This isn't half as bad as I'd thought it would be.'_ He'd gone over to get drinks for himself and Sal, but he couldn't resist making small talk in the meantime. The guests themselves were quite varied, ranging from elderly politicians to middle-aged corporate big-shots to younger, bored-looking socialites (perhaps the offspring of one of those first two groups). He took a small sip of his drink, then carefully picked up an additional two cups of punch and headed back over to his friends, "Hey Knux, how's yer head?" he asked jokingly, gesturing at his friend's restricted dreadlocks.

"Very slowly losing all feeling," the echidna responded, taking his drink, "Thanks for asking."

"Not really your look, but I guess Daddy told you to do it?"

"Shut up."

"And he's the reason Rouge isn't here, right?"

"Who?" Sally asked.

"His girlfriend," Sonic sniggered before Knuckles could get a word in edgewise.

"Girlfriend??" she echoed, "When did you get a girlfriend and where do you get off not telling me?"

"It-It's not even really official yet!" the red-furred humanoid stammered hastily.

"She's twenty-one," the hedgehog added slyly, "And used to be our babysitter, actually."

"Why Knuckles," Sally said, grinning at him, "How scandalous of you."

Blushing a crimson nearly as deep as his fur, Knuckles scowled, staring intently at his cup, "I hate you both…"

"You've gotta meet her sometime," Sonic laughed, setting down his empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter. He cupped his now free hands a short distance from his chest, "Wonderful girl…" he grinned.

The chipmunk nodded, "I see. Well, if Knuckles likes her, I'd expect no less," she added, letting the sarcasm leave her voice.

Knuckles merely raised his glass and took another sip of his drink, hoping to give the blood in his cheeks some time to rescind.

"Sorry you couldn't bring her tonight," Sally continued, "I _am_ curious to meet her, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunities."

"Yeah," the echidna agreed, "So, um…" he began, searching desperately for a new topic of conversation, "Your tailors must work pretty fast, Sally- that suit looks brand new…" he commented, turning his attention to Sonic.

"Only the best on this family's payroll," she said with a laugh as the hedgehog adjusted the cuffs of the sleeves smugly.

"Fit's like a glove too," Sonic added in agreement, "Guess all the prodding and groping was worth it…"

"Speaking of groping," Sally said, lips pursed as she reached over to punch him in the arm, "_That's_ for feeling me up on the stairs."

He grinned broadly, rubbing the spot where she'd hit him, "Totally worth it," he said dismissively.

"You realize my father's going to kill you, right?"

"Where is the old fart anyway?" the hedgehog asked, scanning the crowd.

"I haven't seen him since the welcome speech, actually," she said, one hand on her hip, "He probably disappeared to the war room to plot your demise."

"He must've enlisted my dad- I don't see him anywhere either…" Knuckles pondered aloud.

"Weird…"

* * *

"Thank you for agreeing to spare us a bit of your time, Max," Locke Echidna began, his tone silky smooth and perfectly polished, his hands held behind his back. Behind him, also occupying the little conference room, sat approximately a dozen others, both human and humanoid alike.

"It was an excellent speech, sir, if I do say so myself," Mammoth Mogul, an enormous, white-suited humanoid wooly mammoth agreed, a smoldering cigar held between his thick fingers.

"It's no trouble, gentlemen," Maximillian said, inclining his head once, "I always have time for my most loyal campaign contributors. What can I do for you?"

A thin, early-thirties human male with crisply maintained, short black hair, answered, "We have a…business proposition to discuss…" he stated delicately, pushing his frameless, rectangular glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"A little deal we've all been let in on that we thought you might like a piece of," Mogul, seated next to the man (whose full name was Artemeus Solinger), added, taking a short drag from his cigar.

The Mayor of Mobotropolis glanced between the faces surrounding him. "What sort of deal?"

Locke began to pace around the room slowly, locking the room's single entry/exit door softly as he passed by it, "The kind that will ensure both the survival and advancement of the occupants of this room…"

"Survival?" Max echoed, eyes following the echidna, "What are you talking about?"

"Tell us, Mr. Mayor," Another human, a middle-aged, heavyset man with a gravely voice, spoke up, ignoring the inquiry, "How goes the hunt for Dr. Robotnik?"

The chipmunk male scowled, "You know as well as I that he's not been seen since the last attack. Unless your industrial empires are privy to information my top investigators are not."

"As a matter of fact…" Mammoth grinned, white smoke curling up from the tip of his cigar towards the single, elongated light bulb that was the room's only light source, "You'd be surprised what information money can buy…"

Before Max could respond, the occupant of the chair to his right, a buxom female echidna in a slinky black evening dress by the name of Lien-Da spoke up, "Just so we're perfectly clear, we're approaching you as a favor, sir…at Locke's insistence."

"I just couldn't let my old friend be decimated with the masses, not when he has the potential to be so useful…" Locke countered, frowning over at the female.

"Decimated? Just what in hell's name are you all talking about?" Max demanded, bringing one palm down firmly on the tabletop.

"In the past several months, each of us in this room have been in contact with the terrorist known as Doctor Robotnik," Solinger stated calmly, folding his hands together in front of his face, his elbows resting on the table, "After several years of making our lives hell, it seems the good doctor's resources had finally begun to run dry, so he decided to branch out a bit…"

Mouth hanging agape, Acorn looked from one familiar face to the next around the circle. "You…you can't be serious…"

"Quite so," Mogul chortled, leaning back in his seat, "Rather than be part of the problem, we've decided to be part of the solution- a fine investment, considering the incalculable wealth and positions of power we'll be afforded once the doctor becomes sovereign."

"The city is crumbling around us, Max," Locke said, walking up behind the mayor to place a hand on his shoulder, "It's really only a matter of time before he succeeds in annihilating Mobotropolis."

"And with our collective resources, the federal government will fall soon after," the larger human (Mr. Curtis) added, spreading his arms wide so as to indicate the entire room, "Take a look around you; notice the industries represented?"

Slightly numb as their words sunk in, he began placing faces with their respective businesses. Locke's Guardian Corp. designed and produced the robotic soldiers that patrolled the city to aid the thinning police force. Mogul and Lien-Da were both heads of arms manufacturing companies (hers held the patent for the nation's first laser-armed weaponry while his was under contract from the federal government developing all manner of large-scale assault vehicles). Solinger represented computer technology, while Curtis's power plant kept nearly 3/4ths of the city running. They were exactly who _he'd_ contact if he were planning a siege of the city…

"You can be of some assistance to the doctor as well," Locke said cautiously, "Improperly placed police forces, blueprints of city buildings and sewage systems, that sort of thing- for your help, the doctor may even let your family live along with you."

His ears perked up and he turned towards the echidna, the panic only thinly masked in his eyes. "Are you…threatening me, Locke?"

"I'm giving you a warning, Max, as a courtesy," the male echidna countered firmly.

"_We_, on the other hand, _are_ threatening you, Mr. Mayor," Mammoth stated darkly, his cigar clenched in the corner of his mouth, "The doctor is going to be sending you instructions at some point in the near future as to the details of what he wants- if you value your life and the lives of your family, you'll do as he says. It would be such a shame if you had to be… persuaded further: I thought your little grandson was awfully cute, and Sally was particularly beautiful this evening…"

"I…you…" Acorn struggled for the right words, instinctual, defensive fury bubbling up inside him,

"You really don't have a choice," Lien-Da stated, looking much too pleased at the statement.

"Why fight it at all?" Solinger asked, looking more bemused than actually curious, "The doctor _will_ succeed, whether or not you participate willingly…"

"There's no need to answer now, you can give the doctor your response when he contacts you," Curtis added, "Just know that whatever you decide, we'll know."

There was a short knock on the locked door, "Mr. Mayor, sir?" Nigel's voice, though muffled by the barrier, could be heard softly.

The four sitting at the conference room table all stood up, "Think it over carefully," Mogul warned, dousing his cigar in the ashtray in the middle of the table.

"And I'd advise not mentioning this conversation to anyone," Locke said, finally releasing his hold on the chipmunk's shoulder.

Solinger unlocked the door, then pulled it open, "He's all yours," he told the butler, smirking back at the mayor for just a second before exiting the room, followed in single file by each of the others with Locke bringing up the rear.

Nigel watched them depart, and then turned to his employer. "Your wife's been asking for you, sir."

Mayor Acorn nodded slowly, not yet trusting his tongue to function properly. He leaned against the table with both hands, his head hung slightly and his mind racing. The collar of his suit was drenched in the cold sweat that now covered his body, _'What the hell am I going to do…?'_ he thought miserably, his breathing shallow and irregular, _'No one would even believe me if I told them what just happened…'_

"Shall I tell her you'll be out shortly?" the human asked, approaching his employer cautiously.

The humanoid nodded slowly, "Yes, I'll be there in a moment, Nigel…" he rasped.

"Is there anything I can get you, sir? A glass of water perhaps?" It was naturally imprudent to ask what had occurred behind closed doors, but the drastic shift in the demeanor of his employer was impossible not to notice.

"No, no, I'll be alright," Max replied, a touch of his old impatience back in his tone, "You can inform my wife not to fret, I'll be out momentarily…"

"Very good sir," the old man said, bowing slightly before exiting the room.

Out in the hallway, Mogul smirked as he pulled a fresh cigar out of the gunmetal silver carrying case that he kept in his suit's breast pocket, "Imagine!_You_ of all people playing the 'good cop', Locke…" he chortled, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh stuff it," the echidna bristled, "_Someone_ had to."

* * *

"Night guys, I'll see you at school on Monday," Amy said, as she backed up the steps to her front porch.

"See ya later Amy!" Charmy smiled, waving cheerfully as he trotted down the walk away from the pink-hedgehog's house.

"Talk to you soon!" Tails added, watching Silver out of the corner of his eye nervously,_'Heh heh…I'm in such deep shit…'_

"Um, h-have a good night…" Silver stammered, staring down at his boots as he followed slowly after Tails and Charmy, his tone a mixture of bitterness and dejection.

"You too…" With a small wave, the female hedgehog ducked inside her home and the three males were left to themselves, in an awkward silence that was destined not to last.

Silver waited until they were about half a block down the sidewalk before rounding on his two-tailed friend. He'd experienced being mortified and miserable for the last half an hour, perhaps being infuriated (which he could rightly justify) would be easier. Glaring darkly at Tails, he lifted his right hand, palm facing outward, and enveloped his friend in his signature psychokinetic energy bubble.

Choking, unable to move, the fox strained against what felt like cement engulfing him. "Dude, I'm sorry! I had no idea what you were doing up there – if I had, do you really think I would've burst in on you on purpose?!"

Silver sighed, releasing his friend almost instantly, his arms falling uselessly back at his sides, "I was so _close_…" he whimpered pitiably.

"Hey!" Charmy called from approximately a dozen yards ahead of them, "What're you two doin' back there?"

"Trying to not_die_…" Tail said, coughing roughly, massaging his throat as he got to his feet again, "Really man, I'm _so_ sorry…"

Silver merely nodded. He knew it would probably be polite to apologize for nearly asphyxiating the fox-humanoid, but at the moment he just didn't have the heart to- he'd left his heart exposed and bleeding on the roof of that skyscraper, cold and alone, waiting…

"Not die?" the bee repeated, both puzzled and curious, "Did I miss something?"

"We sort of…um…inadvertently blew Silver's big chance with Amy tonight…" Tails explained uncomfortably, before turning towards the hedgehog again, adding quickly, "Not that there won't be _other_ chances!"

Charmy cocked his head to one side in confusion, adjusting his baseball cap, "Big chance? What d'you mean?"

"Well, I didn't get a really good look, but um…" the fox glanced between the hedgehog and the bee, finding _himself_ embarrassed having to spell it out, "I think when we showed up, they were almost, er, kissing – weren't you?"

"So damn close!" the hedgehog moaned.

"Kissing??" Charmy echoed, "Shit, dude – our bad…"

"Yeah…" _'Lonely,_lonely_ hedgehog…'_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Sonic, there's somebody I'd like you to meet."

Sonic turned away from listening in on the dull conversation Knuckles was making with one of the female socialites (the pair had obviously seen each other before at especially boring gatherings in the same vein as this one) to face Sally. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her: she was holding in her arms an infant chipmunk-humanoid, "Somethin' yer not tellin' me here, Sal?" he asked jokingly.

She giggled, as the baby tugged at her thick-with-hairspray curls, "No, he's not mine. This is Alex, my nephew. I snagged him from my sister-in-law just a minute ago. Figured his cheeks could use a break from all the pinching."

"Ah, gotcha," he smiled, leaning down a bit to get a better look at the infant. He'd never been too sure what to make of children, especially newborns: being an only child (not his choice), he hadn't had any experience in the matter growing up, and other than that…well, without living relatives, what other opportunities would he possibly have had? "Feisty little guy, ain't he?"

"It runs in the family," she said, wincing behind her smile as she attempted in vain to get her head-fur free of the tiny, strong fist.

"Yeah, I'm beginning to figure that one out, actually," he grinned, his hands resting on his knees now so he was at eye level with the child, his face only a few inches away, "Hey little guy- yer not gonna grow up to be a pain in the ass like your grandpa, are ya, are ya?" he asked, his voice higher than usual (as beings tend to do when presented with newborns).

Excited at yet another new face, Alex reached out with both hands, grasping the hedgehog's nearest feature – his long black nose – laughing.

Sonic winced in surprise and pain, frowning a bit, "Quite a grip he's got there…" he managed.

"Alex!" she scolded half-heartedly, shifting the child's full weight into one arm so she could use her newly freed hand to pry his tiny fingers off of her date, "That's not a toy."

The cobalt-blue hedgehog rubbed his tender nose gingerly, "Though it's conveniently baby-hand-sized…"

"And kinda cute, I hafta say," she admitted, holding the infant closer to her chest, "Hadn't really looked at it closely before."

He blushed slightly, staring down at the tip of his nose, "Um, thanks, I think…"

"Welcome," she said, leaning down to kiss it lightly.

"Hey, there's my kid! I knew someone had him!"

A tall, young male chipmunk was approaching the pair briskly, and Sally's face brightened. "Sorry Elias, Meg said I could borrow him."

"Wasn't too much trouble, I hope?" Elias asked, wrapping an arm around his sister and pecking her quickly on the cheek, "Long time no see, sis- how's life treating you?"

"Not too badly," she told him, gesturing with her head as both arms were around the child again, who was now more exited than ever at the appearance of his father, "Sonic, this is my big brother, Elias. Elias, this is my date."

"Nice ta meet cha," Sonic said brightly, hoping with little optimism that he could get off to a better start with the elder brother than he had with the father.

Elias straightened up, eyeing the hedgehog for a moment. "Indeed. And what family are you with, young man?"

"Hedgehog," the other replied bluntly, rolling his eyes. Was surname really all these snobs cared about?

The lineage was impressive, though the family had fallen into relative obscurity in recent years, and Elias nodded, somewhat satisfied. "Glad you could join us."

"Well, someone had to keep Sal from gettin' too damn bored," Sonic chuckled, wrapping an arm around his date's waist playfully.

The male chipmunk's mouth twitched into a frown reminiscent of his father's but he merely said, "Sorry Sally, but Mom's asking for Alex – mind if I take him back for a bit?"

She would have nodded, if not for the baby's iron-grip once again in her head fur. "Sure – I think we've had enough fun for a while, anyway."

Elias smirked, gently removing his offspring from his sister's hair, cradling him, "Okay, say good-bye to Aunt Sally, Alex," he cooed, raising the infant's tiny, right arm with his hand and moving it up and down quickly.

"Bye sweetie," Sally said, stroking the child's head as it gurgled at her.

"And there goes the one being in the room that isn't bored to tears…" Sonic sighed, watching as the two departed.

"I'm sorry," Sally said, "I should've warned you this was going to be dull."

"Don't worry about it," he assured her, lowering his voice just a tad, "Though I wouldn't say no to ditching this scene for another night out…"

_'Ditch?'_ She couldn't do that. It was rude, not to mention disrespectful to her parents and the countless guests that crowded the ballroom. Someone was certain to notice if she vanished. It was silly – anywhere they could go they'd be grossly overdressed and _much_too easy to spot. It was impulsive – not like her at all. She couldn't… "What did you have in mind?" she found herself asking, staring out at the crowd rather than meeting his eye.

"It's a big country- wanna go for a run?" Sonic asked, wishing his voice hadn't left him with such childish eagerness. Usually he'd be off getting a bit of exercise and exploring by now, rather than wasting his time standing around, mingling with boorish people he didn't know, in threads about two classes too good for him…

She checked the slim, gold-banded watch on her wrist. "We've got about an hour and a half before this thing starts winding down. If you can get us back before that, then sure. Let's do it."

Sonic needed no further prompting; he picked Sally up in his arms and raced from the room. Rather than draw attention to himself by simply blasting out the front door, he ran back up the stairs to the second story- it'd be easier to hop out a window than try to get past the guards and paparazzi stationed by the entrance to the mansion.

As the wind rushed around him, Knuckles turned swiftly, already knowing what must have happened before his eyes confirmed it. _'Figures…'_ he thought dismally, before returning to the conversation he'd been having.

* * *

"Now this is better!" Sonic proclaimed taking a deep breath, then releasing it slowly, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder. He'd stopped on one of the mountains in the middle of the country, a short outcropping on the side about two dozen yards above the lonely mountain route, too small for any developer to bother with it, but decorated with a fair amount of lush, aesthetically pleasing greenery.

"I have to agree," Sally said, high heels in hand for the second night in a row, skirt billowing in the chilly night breeze, "This is gorgeous…"

"There's not even any pollution out here to mess up the view of the stars…" Sonic agreed quietly, coming around behind her to drape his jacket over her shoulders.

"You're quite the nature enthusiast, aren't you?" she asked, turning towards him with a smile.

"I just try to appreciate the finer things in life, that's all," he replied nonchalantly.

There were a few hundred people in a ballroom thousands of miles away that would beg to differ – that _they_ in fact, were the ones surrounded by the finer things – but she found herself agreeing with the hedgehog. "I can see why," she said, settling down in the cool grass, her skirt pooling out around her.

"Your dad and his kind can keep their weird art, raw fish eggs, and so-uncomfortable-they-must-be-fashionable clothes," Sonic continued, parking himself down next to her, "Clear skies, open country to run through and a beautiful girl to share the view with is enough for me…"

She laughed, blushing. "Sounds like quite the life."

"Workin' out pretty good so far."

She leaned over against him. "I could probably get used to this."

"Used to me, or a life away from the front-page in every 'City and Region' section in the papers?" he inquired curiously, slowly wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Both."

Satisfied, he grinned down at her, "And I _guess_ I could get used to having a rich, smart, gorgeous, ambitious girlfriend…" he sighed in mock-exasperation.

She bumped against him playfully. "Sounds like quite a burden."

He chuckled, leaning in a bit closer towards her, "Heh, you don't know the half of it- I mean, how'm I supposed to leave such a cute tail alone for long, huh?" he asked wickedly, his hand slipping back down to the small over her back, just above the base of her tail.

"Ah…" She tensed, face flushed. "You…you really, um, like it, huh?"

Sonic grinned, kissing her on the cheek gently, _'So damn adorable…'_ "Mm-hmm…"

"I…I have to say, no one's ever paid it much, er, attention to it before…" she muttered, mortified to be admitting it, but the pleasurable contact was lessening her inhibitions in a way she hadn't expected.

"Such a shame…" the hedgehog murmured sympathetically, his lips brushing against hers lightly.

It was an interesting sensation, this airy, fluttering touch and she found herself leaning forward into it, wanting more, wanting the heavy, deep kiss that had sent her head spinning the night before. While she lacked the experience needed to tell for sure, she was fairly certain that he knew what he was doing, and she liked it.

A very natural atmosphere, whether it was that of the mountain ranges, a forest, the beachfront, etc, always had a tendency to bring out the more…_animalistic_ instincts in Sonic. Combined with his abundance of practice at the art of saliva exchange, getting past her initial butterflies and inexperience looked to be a fairly feeble obstacle at best…

His hands were on the move now, and for the moment she was content to allow them. As his gloved fingers ran up her arms and down her back, she let her own ungloved ones work their way up his midriff, noting mildly that the specially tailored fabric still hung loosely on him.

What she might've lacked in familiarity with this sort of activity, she at least made up for with a healthy dose of enthusiasm. Her hands, though cautious in their movement, seemed eager enough, whilst simultaneously managing to exude a very soothing, relaxing touch. While some might've found this sort behavior rather questionable after only a second date, for Sonic this was more the norm than stuffy parties ever would be- most of his…well, you couldn't really call them 'relationships' per se, but 'hook-ups', started off quickly. In a few weeks time, once he'd gotten his fill of the glossy, surface level beauty, there was just never enough beneath it to merit the effort or patience it would take to keep things from falling apart. Still, those first couple weeks were always memorable…

Her fingers worked their way up his torso, lingering around the unbuttoned collar of his dress shirt. Most male hedgehogs' chests were crested with a tuft of feathery fur (one of the mate-attracting features natural selection had decided worth keeping ages ago, before their final evolution), but all she could feel on Sonic was the same, thin fur that covered the rest of his body.

His chest area had always been a sore point for Sonic- try as he might to convince himself that he was merely 'streamlined' to maximize his speed potential, poor genetics by any other name were still just that. Hoping to distract her from such touchy subject matter, his tongue stealthily slipped into foreign territory.

Her eyes fluttered wide open for a moment, her hands dropping to his lap in surprise at the new sensation of him exploring the inside of her mouth. Unsure how to respond, but not wanting to insult him by pulling away, she remained still and let her eyes slowly close again.

He pulled away again after only a few seconds, his objective accomplished. It wasn't that he didn't have confidence in his build, just that he didn't think giving her an additional reason to poke fun at him (given the advantages she held in brainpower, status, etc.) was necessary. And…_damn_ she tasted nice…

"…Wow…" she breathed, bringing one hand to her lips.

He smirked, sitting back up a bit straighter, "Good thing your dad's a couple hundred miles away…"

"_Very_ good thing," she nodded.

* * *

"Dear, dear," Max stammered distractedly as he tapped his wife on the shoulder, his eyes roving over the crowd, "Have you seen Sally?"

"Not for a while," Alicia answered, turning towards him with baby Alex in her arms, "But I've been a little preoccupied."

_'Sonofa-'_ "I can't find her," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow, half-maddened with panic but trying to cover it for the sake of appearances, "I can't…" he paused, his troubled mind only further worried as his gaze fell upon his grandson.

Alicia eyed him worriedly. "I'm sure she's here somewhere…Max, what's wrong? You're pale as death…"

"I'm, I'm just…." He trailed off, shaking his head distractedly, wishing his composure would return more fully to him, "Will you look for her, please? Just make sure she's here? I've got to find the boy- Elias, Elias…"

"Of course," she nodded.

Beside her, Alex's mother Meg spoke up, "Elias' office called for him just a few moments ago, sir. He stepped out to answer it. I think he's in the conference room."

"Thank you…" Max managed weakly, brushing a gloved hand against his grandson's cheek before departing again, uttering a few unfocused greetings to several guests as he hurried by.

"What do you suppose that was about?" the younger, lighter furred female asked.

"Not sure," Alicia said, "But I'm sure I'll find out eventually. Come on, lets go see where my daughter's run off to…"

* * *

"So…golfing, eh?"

"Mm-hmmph," Shadow said, wondering why his adoptive father always chose moments when his mouth was stuffed with food to make conversation.

Gerald nodded, pausing to dab at his lips with his napkin, "Suppose you'll be needing gear then?" he continued, trying not to let the air become stale with the sounds of chewing.

The hedgehog paused a moment to swallow and then answered, "I don't think so…Julian said I could borrow Snively's…"

"Good, good…" the doctor replied, turning to Maria, "And how was your day, dear? You've kept awfully quiet…" he observed acutely (though truth be told, neither of his adoptive offspring had really been doing much speaking), _'Why does she keep glancing at her brother like that…?'_

"Hmm?" Maria raised her blonde head as if coming out of a daze, "Oh, um, not very exciting, Papa… I came across one of your old genetics books though, I hope you don't mind my borrowing it, but it was really interesting."

"You can understand it?" he inquired, sounding quite impressed, watching her with interest over his glasses, "The ol' Kintobor genius at work- I'll have to show you what I have in my study sometime."

"I'd like that," she nodded, smiling shyly.

"Perhaps tomorrow, unless you feel like putting on something plaid or checkered and joining your brother," Gerald laughed.

"As enticing as that sounds, I'd much rather take you up on your offer," she said, smirking, "Besides, I don't think I have the upper arm strength to give him much competition."

"Well, neither does my grandson," the doctor countered, "Either way, even with our_busy_ schedules, I think we'll manage to find time for a quick tour…"

"Okay." That seemed to settle the matter and for a moment, the silence settled over the dining room once more.

* * *

"Elias?" Mayor Acorn rapped hurriedly on the door to the conference room (that he himself had been in just a short while ago), "Are you in here?"

The door opened and his son, a cordless phone still pressed against his ear motioned him inside, still speaking into the receiver. "Yes I understand. Look, I'm sort of in the middle of a gala right now – why don't you fax them to me and I'll look everything over tonight. Uh huh. Of course. Yes, I'll talk to you tomorrow. We'll get this straightened out, don't worry. Just don't do anything until I get back to you. Alright. Bye." He hit the 'end call' button and turned to his father. "Sorry about that, Dad."

"Hmm? Oh, the call, that's no problem," the elder chipmunk-humanoid replied dismissively, closing the door behind him. How did one go about approaching something like this? _'Hell, what am I going to say?'_

"What's up? Haven't missed anything have I?" Elias asked lightly.

Max's somber expression didn't alter, "Elias, I…I need you to do me a favor," he started tentatively, his hands gripping the back of the seat next to his son.

"Anything, Dad," Elias said, smile fading as he noted the graveness on his father's face, "What is it?"

"I need you and Meg to move back in with us."

"What?" the younger humanoid asked, eyebrows raised, "Why?"

"I can't- you wouldn't-…" he sighed, running a hand through his head-fur,_'He'd never believe me…'_ "It's, erm, Sally- have you seen her new beau?"

"Breifly," Elias nodded, "He looked a bit out of place with this crowd, but I suppose she must've invited him for a reason."

"Probably just to tick me off…" he snorted, though the statement didn't carry the same vindictive conviction it would've earlier in the evening. Such worries seemed so trivial in light of his current predicament. _'Even if Elias would believe me, I can't put him in harm's way anymore than necessary: he has his own family to worry about, after all. No, this is my responsibility as Mayor and as head of the house of Acorn…'_ "He's a disaster, epitomizing everything you_don't_ want in the being holding your only daughter's affections," he continued, now pacing around the room, "And for God knows what reason your mother has taken a liking to him as well; I'm outnumbered here, Elias, I need help…"

The young humanoid laughed just slightly and put a hand on his father's shoulder. "Well, if it's only temporary, I don't see the harm. I'll talk to Meg. I'm sure she wouldn't mind an extended visit, and I know Mom's been dying to have Alex around. Just hope she doesn't spoil him too badly." This would mean working remotely, but as a communications consultant that was how he did most of his work anyway.

The relief he felt, though small, was at least a minor comfort. He smiled just slightly, "I'm sure she'll do exactly that, but I think what with the comforts of a personal chef and an army of servants, you might learn to cope…" he said, pulling his son in for a one-armed hug, "Thank you."

"No problem," the boy replied, "Think we should go back to the party?"

"Yes…Yes, that'd probably be best…"

* * *

The vast expanse of land that stretched out beyond their wild flower covered outcropping was quite a sight to behold, but it was lost on the pair of humanoid teens. Sonic had gone back to exploring as much of Sally as she would permit him, and at the moment she was trying not to burst into giggles as his lips worked their way over her shoulders.

The hedgehog-humanoid slowed to a stop above her right shoulder, his lips just barely grazing the soft, thin layer of fur. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply, the mixture of the fresh night air and her delightful perfume providing an almost euphoric, heavenly olfactory experience. She was so different from the other girls he'd been with: natural, untainted, and unspoiled, with a beauty akin to one of the arcane female goddesses of the ancient tribes…

She turned her head just slightly, finding herself perfectly positions to nuzzle her nose against the top of his head. His actions (or perhaps his attitude, influenced by the serenity of the location) had changed somehow. No longer was he the cheeky, horny teen who had copped a feel at the beginning of the evening, rather, everything he was doing seemed reverent, and she loved it. She was starting to feel like…a princess.

He kissed her shoulder once more for good measure, "Chilly?" he asked quietly, observing as she shivered slightly.

"Maybe…just a little," she admitted, rubbing her right arm with the opposite hand.

Sonic reached back behind him to retrieve his now grass-mussed and dew-stained, discarded dinner jacket, placing it over her shoulders once again. He slid up next to her, "On summer nights, sometimes I just fall asleep in places like this…"

"Sounds wonderful," she sighed, leaning against him, eyes turned towards the misty horizon.

"Nothin' like it," he agreed, content for the moment to simply enjoy her company.

"I'll have to try it sometime."

He glanced down at her, a curious but thoughtful expression on his face. In spite of his track record, there was something to be said for the limitless optimism that permeated the start of a fresh relationship. It was infectious, made more so by the fact that he had genuine hope for this one (an unusual concept that he was still internally rationalizing). He craned his neck downward slightly, kissing her gently atop the head, "Sure."

She smiled, then begrudgingly dared a glance at her watch. "We probably should head back soon…someone's bound to notice we're missing sooner or later…"

Sonic exhaled quietly, faint traces of his breath rising visibly in the air before him, "Kay," he said, standing up and stretching to relieve a bit of the stiffness in his joints.

She rose as well, slipping her shoes back on before leaning over to kiss him quickly. "Thanks for suggesting this."

"My pleasure," he replied, scooping her up into his arms carefully, "Trust me, if your dad holds more parties like tonight's, this won't be a one-time thing…"

"I'd be okay with that," she said, wrapping her arms around her neck, ready for the ride.

Sonic grinned happily, then launched into high gear, headed straight for Mobotropolis.

* * *

"Knuckles, have you seen my daughter lately?"

"Not recently, no ma'am," the echidna shook his head (which was beginning to hurt now as the circulation of blood to his dreadlocks lessened).

Alicia frowned dejectedly, the baby still in her arms. It was times like these she missed the days her own children were this small – they were so much easier to keep track of that way. "When was the last time you did see her?"

"Maybe forty-five minutes, an hour ago, I think…"

She looked concerned, but only for a moment. "And Sonic, was that the last time you saw him as well?"

Knuckles coughed awkwardly into one glove, "Yes ma'am," he admitted.

"Ahh," she nodded, "Well that solves _that_ mystery. Thank you, dear."

"Glad I could help, ma'am…"

* * *

"Maria…"

The blonde, previously alone in the living room as her brother had retreated to his bedroom a short time ago, glanced up from her book to see her grandfather standing over her. "Yes, Papa?"

"What's bothering you, sweetie?" he inquired gently, sitting down on the seat across from hers, "You've got that look in your eye again; what's he done this time?"

"Done?" she echoed, "N-nothing…"

"You've got a terrible poker face, dear, and you know it," Gerald pressed, "What's he done?"

She flushed. It was true, and she hated it. It was awfully difficult to keep secrets when anyone who looked at you could tell you were doing so. She exhaled heavily, and closed the book. "Well…he's just had a few, um, 'spacey' moments lately…"

He tensed up slightly, but hurried to cover it, patting his pockets in search of his cigarettes, "Oh?" he asked casually.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, "And he hadn't had one in a long while before Friday, so I guess it just shook me up a little, that's all."

"Well, everyone gets lost in their daydreams once in a while…" the doctor replied thoughtfully, "But more than one instance…" he trailed off, not wishing to give her too much cause for alarm, "What was he doing at the time?"

"Um…" she paused, thinking back, "The first time we were watching TV…he had 'Ultimate Fighting' on, and when I asked him to turn it off the first time, he didn't hear me. And then earlier today it happened again when we were talking about dinner…"

The first made sense, though it was worrisome, but… "Dinner?" he repeated, raising a bushy, gray eyebrow.

"Yeah," she said, "When I asked him what he was in the mood for, he said 'red meat' and went on a bit about it, cuz he knows it grosses me out when he talks like that, but then when I was heading to the kitchen, he'd gone off again."

Gerald sighed softly, folding his hands together in front of his face, his elbows resting on his thighs, _'Goddammit…'_ "Has he been fighting recently?" he asked sternly.

"…N-no…"

"_Maria_…"

"Only once…on Thursday…during detention, I think…"

"He got in a fight…_during_ detention!?" the doctor asked incredulously, rolling his eyes in disbelief, "I'm gonna kill that boy…"

"No, please!" she cried, looking panicked, "If he finds out I told, he won't forgive me for weeks!"

Grumbling incoherently to himself, the old man stood up and began to wander about the room distractedly, _'Dammit all! Now I'm going to have to strengthen the rings- I'm too old to be pulling all-nighters anymore!' _ "Where'd you hide my cigarettes?" he asked irritably, still unable to locate them on his person.

"Promise you won't punish him again?" she countered, hating to barter but knowing it was the simplest way to avoid what would surely be family-wide fight with no winners.

_'I miss the days when I could just threaten him with my belt and he'd behave…'_ "He's going golfing tomorrow- I think that's punishment enough," Gerald responded, though he still didn't sound pleased.

Satisfied, she rose from her seat and disappeared from the room, returning a moment later with the pack in one hand, offering it to him.

"Thank you," he said gruffly. He took his time carefully extracting one of the coffin nails from its package, his free hand removing his gunmetal silver-colored, flip-top lighter from his pocket. Once he had the nicotine stick properly lit and held between his middle and fore fingers, he took a short drag, then continued, "I wouldn't dwell on the daydreaming, sweetie; that's just your brother being your brother," he lied, though his tone held a strong ring of sincerity (despite the falseness of his words), "But thank you for telling me…"

"Yes Papa," she nodded, picking the book up from where she'd left it on the couch. "I think I'll head up to bed. Don't smoke too many of those, please."

Gerald smiled, shaking his head, "I won't. Have a good night, Maria," he said, holding out his arms.

She embraced him warmly, "You too."

He drew her in close, kissing her softly on the top of the head, his cigarette-free hand patting her gently on the back, "Sweet dreams."

"Always," she said, beaming up at him as they separated. "See you in the morning."

_'Not likely…'_ "See you in the morning," he repeated.

* * *

"It's about time," Knuckles said, as the wind rushing past him alerted him to Sonic and Sally's return, "You're folks are looking for you, Sally."

"I think that's my cue to bail," Sonic chuckled nervously, looking to Sally for approval.

"Oh, you don't want to stick around for the closing speech?" she asked jokingly.

"I don't see how your dad's gonna be able to give a speech while he's chewing on my bones…"

She laughed, "Fine, get out of here. Call me tomorrow?"

"Sure thing, Princess," he replied casually, "Knux, catch ya later."

"Yeah," Knuckles nodded, "See ya."

Sonic embarrassedly leaned up just a fraction to peck Sally on the cheek, then took off again, his presence at the stately Acorn mansion now only a memory.

As she watched him go, a contented smile on her face, Knuckles coughed awkwardly into one hand. "I guess whatever it was you were doing for the last hour went well?"

She blushed slightly, "You could say that."

"He didn't do anything too…ya know…?"

Smiling at the brotherly, over-protective tone he was taking, she shook her head. "No, nothing like what he pulled on the stairs. He was…really romantic, actually."

"…Sonic? Romantic?" the echidna repeated incredulously.

"Strange as it sounds, given his reputation, yeah," she said, shrugging.

Knuckles nodded, "Must've been nice, getting away from this place for a while…"

"I'm sorry for leaving you behind, but that probably would've been even _more_ awkward…"

"Yeah, I figured- third wheel and all that."

"Wouldn't have had to be if you'd brought _your_ new girl along," she teased, "I really do want to meet her sometime."

"Y-You will, sometime, I promise," he said, staring down at his feet bashfully.

"Good."

"_There_ you are!" Before either teen could think to turn the conversation in another direction, Alex's mother Meg appeared beside them. "You're father's about to have kittens, missy. Where've you been?"

Knuckles quietly began to back away, glad to have been saved the embarrassment of any further inquiries as to his relationship with Rouge, _'Good luck, Sally- you're gonna need it…'_

"I was here," Sally stated calmly, "Mingling, wandering around, seeing Sonic off a little while ago…" She didn't much enjoy lying to her family, but if it meant keeping Sonic out of trouble (even just a bit) with her father…well, exceptions could be made.

The slightly-more grown female didn't look entirely convinced, but she shook her head, "Whatever you say, honey. Come on, let's send all these good people home, okay?"

"After you," Sally said courteously.

* * *

Even as her father concluded the evening and bid his patrons adieu, Sally knew she was in for it big time. His grip on her shoulder as he addressed the crowd was unusually firm and her mother kept glancing between then concernedly. They had barely made it back through the double doors at the top of the stairs before he wheeled on her.

"And just where the devil were you!?" he demanded angrily.

"…Around…" she answered, though it was harder to be well composed now that they were out of the public eye.

"That's crap," Max snapped, taking a step closer to his daughter, glaring down at her in cold fury, "I had security check the grounds and the cameras- where were you?"

She shrank under his gaze. _'No use lying now…' _"Sonic got bored, so we went for a run…" she said quietly.

"Goddammit Sally, you can't just- it isn't safe to- we have rules about this-!" her father spluttered, clutching his hands to his head for a second before falling back to his sides, livid beyond words (his rage filling the enormous gaping void left by his now reduced sense of fear and panic) to the point that he couldn't complete any of the numerous admonishing sentences clinging to the tip of his tongue, "You just don't get it…" he said softly, "How can I get you to take your security seriously, Sally, hmm? What's it going to take?" he asked, now pacing around his daughter slowly, "I understand you want to be a normal teenager, just live an average life, away from the spotlight- at seventeen, who doesn't? But you're not normal- I thought you were mature enough to have figured that out by now! Every time you sneak off and ditch your security, that's two hours worth of hell you put me and your detail through, plus another week's worth of meetings to try to figure out how to protect you from yourself, not just the _fucking_ lunatics and terrorists who'd like nothing better than to put a bullet in the back of your head!!" he shouted, the tension that had built up from early in the evening now bubbling to the surface.

"Max…" Alicia said, eyes wide, coming up behind her daughter, whose bottom lip was trembling, her voice lost.

His chest heaving, Mayor Acorn slowed to a stop, clenched fists uncurling at his sides, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean- I…I'm sorry…" he sighed weakly, hugging his daughter tightly to him.

Shaking, with tears slipping down her cheeks, Sally buried her face in his chest. "N-no…_I'm_ sorry, Daddy," she hiccoughed, "I…I didn't know…"

Mammoth Mogul's threats still ringing ominously in his ears, Max embraced his daughter further, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the hurt etched in his daughter's face nor the confused, troubled gaze his wife was directing towards him. Worse, though, was the image that surfaced in the dark recesses of his mind: his city set ablaze, dying in the scorching flames of hell as the tall, portly, red-suited, mustached-figure of Dr. Robotnik looked on, his laughter echoing over the landscape. At his feet, their flesh nearly consumed by the fire, lay the bodies of the family Acorn's next generation…

TBC...


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Amy, when did you get back? Your mother and I didn't hear you come in." The teen glanced up to see her father, Jacob Rose (whose once vibrant aqua-colored fur was now tinted with gray), poking his head around her half-opened door.

"A little while ago," she answered, "Sorry I didn't check in. It's been a pretty long day and I guess I spaced."

The elder hedgehog nodded, adjusting his reading spectacles, "Did you have a good time with your friends?"  
"I…yes, I did," she said, smiling assuredly up at him.

He grinned cheerfully, leaning against her doorframe. It was nice to see her happy for a change- for a girl with as few problems as he could discern (and admittedly, he was sure he didn't know every facet and detail of his daughter's life), she certainly was melancholy a lot… "That's good- any big plans for tonight?"

"Nah, I'm pretty beat," she said, "Just gonna play around on the computer for a bit, then turn in, I think."

"Alright- your mother's putting on some hot water, if you want tea or anything in a little while."

"Okay, sure. Tell her thanks and to leave a mug out for me."

"I will," he assured her, walking over to give his daughter a one-armed hug, "Have a good night; see ya tomorrow."

"You too," she said, placing one hand over his for a moment, "Love you."

"Love you too, honey," he said, kissing her on the cheek. With that, he left the room, softly closing her door three-quarters of the way behind him.

Settling back against the pillows at her headboard, Amy let out a small sigh. It was true, she _was_ exhausted, but there was just too much spinning dizzily in her head for her to sleep. She'd said she'd update the blog, but the prospect of picking a proper place to start was daunting. So much had happened… She raised a hand to her lips instinctively. On the roof, Silver had almost…almost…

She shook her head, blushing. _'I can't believe I nearly let that happen. I swore I would save that for Sonic. But…Silver…'_ She couldn't get his voice out of her head – so shy, so sincere… How could she have never realized?

* * *

Gerald flipped his pocket-watch open,_ 'Midnight…he's probably asleep by now,'_ he thought, replacing the timepiece before silently entering his adoptive son's room. The house was still and dark, the only illumination for the old man to follow coming in the form of the moonlight through Shadow's lone window. It was messy, unkempt, and dusty, which, while typical of a teenager, could partially be blamed on nurture, _'It's not like my workshop is any cleaner…'_ He smirked just slightly: nature versus nurture- now _there's_ a battle he was more than familiar with.

Every damn day he had to watch his son-…no, his creation…struggle with his own inner programming to do what society, what his family told him was right. It pained the doctor to no ends to watch Shadow try to cope with something so far beyond his control, an enemy combatant he didn't even comprehend existed. The temporary black-outs, the violent tendencies, the inability to fully appreciate the immeasurable worth of life itself, the incalculable strength were all byproducts of his creator's missteps. Kintobor ran a hand tiredly through his extremely thinned hair, watching Shadow sleep peacefully, _'How could I have been so blind? How did I let them take it this far…?'_

* * *

_"Ah, Dr. Kintobor, how good to see you again!"_

_"How is he doing today?" Gerald asked as he traded his dark overcoat for the white lab coat that hung on the back of his desk chair._

_"Well…" the younger man, a lanky, red-haired, recent college graduate by the name of Claphin (Ph.D. pending, he was going to graduate school on the government's payroll, thus worked for them on the side) frowned in confusion, spinning in his swivel chair back towards the computer monitors. As chief (or rather, the only) assistant to Doctor Kintobor on Project 'Shadow' it was his duty to get into the laboratory early in order to get everything prepped and ready for the start of a fresh research day. The lab was medium-sized sterile-clean, from the white-tiled floor to the steel, reinforced walls. _

_Several tables were pushed up against the walls, some containing scattered papers, logs, and research books, but most were merely stations for the extremely advanced, government-provided computer equipment. In the very center of the room, in an enormous, illuminated pipe filled with liquid, floated the results of their months of work: a tiny, nearly complete, hedgehog-humanoid- created entirely from the genius of Doctor Kintobor, "His vital signs are stable, but…"_

_"…But…?" Kintobor asked, turning towards the amniotic chamber, hands clasped behind his back._

_"I've been observing some changes in his design specs," the younger man continued, "Not in the physical make-up or anything, but certainly in its brain- have you been doing work without telling me?"_

_"I haven't," the elder man shook his head, stroking his mustache thoughtfully, "I wanted his brain to develop as naturally as possible, given the circumstances. What sorts of changes have you noticed?"_

_"Well, the nanobots show numerous activation times when neither of us were in the labs," Claphin began, scrolling through a log on the computer screen to his right, "Each time performing operations in the frontal and temporal lobes, though why, to what effect or extent I can't tell yet."_

_The bright blue eyes behind the old man's glasses clouded over. This didn't bode well, someone using the equipment while they were out. "We'll need to get a CAT scan immediately. See what the damage is…"_

_The younger man nodded, "Also, I was using the nano-cam earlier and I observed what looked like numerous needle marks in its back, neck, and arms," he added nervously._

_"Say __**what**__?" Gerald asked, rounding on him, "Have you run tests to locate any foreign substances in his bloodstream?"_

_"Tests are running now sir, but…" Claphin trailed off, rubbing his hands together anxiously, "Not all of the marks look fresh."_

_"How old to they look…?" he asked warily._

_"Two months, but the creature will heal in time," came a new, third voice from the doorway, "Its remarkable resilience is only one of its many talents, of course…"_

_The young man snapped to attention, but Gerald turned furiously towards the tall, square-shouldered man who had just entered the room. "Brigadier General Grier…" he said sourly, "I thought we'd agreed at the start of this that my work was not to be interfered with. Just what in hell's name have you been doing here behind my back?"_

_"And I respected our agreement- until your little discovery eight weeks ago," Grier stated calmly, stepping into the room. He was dressed in a formal, deep green military dress uniform with a cap adorning his shaved-bald scalp. A dozen foot soldiers followed him into the room, flanking the walls behind him._

_Watching the small crown amass, the old man scowled. He knew exactly what Grier meant by 'little discovery'. During a standard, cellular scan, it had been revealed that the infant's body was harboring a massive amount of energy – the sort that when found in naturally born humanoids resulted in what( in layman's terms) could be called 'gifts' or 'powers', extraordinary physical and/or mental abilities that humans had yet to tap into in their own genetic lines. The origins of such developments were still unknown, and it had been a shock to him to find that the product of his work had developed them. How they would manifest themselves had yet to be revealed as well, as they could not until the child was a bit older. In his current incubation stage, it was anyone's guess. He just hadn't realized the military who had funded the work would take such an interest in doing the guess work._

_"We were content to let you have this little pet project of yours, as the results of your research could have gleaned some information into the development of a humanoid in a controlled setting, but after we discovered the notes you made on this creature's latent abilities, well…" the Brigadier General trailed off, smiling unpleasantly, "Do you know the true name of the Department for Sentient Research and Development, doctor?"_

_"I was under the impression that _was_ its true name," Gerald replied._

_"The official name, certainly," Grier nodded curtly, "But the brass simply refer to it as the Cloning Department. Your creation now has an enormous amount of potential for the military, so we've been bringing in our own engineers and scientists to…help it along, in that direction…"_

_"So I've noticed," Gerald said, "What exactly is it that you've done, Brigadier? And to what purpose?"_

_"We've improved it: strengthened its body, given it a complex concoction of drugs in order to feed its instinctual side, made minor modifications to its brain to better suit it for military assignments. Someday this 'Project Shadow' of yours will make the perfect super-soldier we've been looking for; what with the humanoid population almost twice that of our own and the sudden increase of crawlers with natural-born 'powers', the military feels that a man-made creature such as this has the potential to be the ultimate executor of whatever…_drastic measures _may someday become necessary."_

_Gerald scowled. _'Of course…leave it to our government to prepare for war against the humanoids…' _"Do you have any idea how dangerous that sort of tampering is?" he demanded, "He'll grow up volatile – violent! How do you expect to control the strength he's bound to have, much less get him to follow orders?"_

_"You're welcome to stay aboard to help us, doctor," Grier said, though he didn't sound too enthusiastic, "But, as I mentioned earlier, we have our own team and our own plans for dealing with this wonderful monstrosity of yours."_

_ Working under these fools was a concept that disgusted him, but abandoning the project wasn't an option. He needed time to think. "Perhaps…" he said, exhaling heavily, "Given the circumstances, it would be beneficial for me to stay on. Just to be sure you don't destroy my creation before you get a chance to use it."_

_"Doctor…" Claphin protested quietly, shooting the elder man a betrayed look, "We can't just let them do this to him!"_

_Gerald turned towards him, gesturing for him to remain silent. Protesting outright would do very little good, especially with a coldhearted bastard like Grier. If anything was to be done, it would be impossible if they were forced from the facilities._

_"Him?" Grier chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the young man, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you'd grown attached to it, Mr. Claphin…"_

_"He's a living thing, just like any other," the young man said, fists clenched at his sides, "How he was born shouldn't matter."_

_The Brigadier General merely shook his head, "A sad conclusion from one with aspirations to one day be a scientist- detachment is key to all endeavors. For example," he raised his right hand, then brought it down again swiftly. Behind him, one of the soldiers brought his rifle up, aimed it right at the young man's head, and depressed the trigger._

'Son of a –!'_It took everything the old man had to keep the rage from bleeding through his shocked expression as Claphin fell, dead before he hit the floor._

_"Tomorrow this facility will be shut down and the project transferred to a more secure location," Grier stated, blood from the dead body trickling slowly down the tiles, marring the tips of his spit-shined, black boots, "Oh-seven-hundred-hours; do be on time, Doctor."_

_Gerald nodded, forcing himself to meet the Brigadier's gaze. "Of course."_

_Without another word, Grier exited the room, flanked on both sides by his soldiers._

_As the door hissed shut, Kintobor let his shoulders slump, turning sadly towards the body of his fallen assistant. _'The bastards…What a waste of talent…'_ He removed his coat and draped it over the young man dutifully, remaining crouched beside him, head bowed for just a short moment. When he rose again, his jaw was set and his eyes were on the infant in the center of the room._

* * *

_"Good evening, Doctor Kintobor, sir- back again so soon?"_

_"I can't afford to stay away long," Gerald told the guards stationed outside the laboratory door, "With so much that's gone on while I was unawares, it'll take days for me to get back up to speed."_

_The night-duty guards (as the time was now nearing oh-one-hundred hours) nodded, "Go right on in, sir," the first stated, standing at attention._

_"We'll make sure you aren't disturbed," the other added, shouldering his rifle._

_"Thank you, gentlemen," the old man nodded to each courteously, then continued inside._

_The doctor closed the door behind him, adjusting his laptop bag on his shoulder, _'The floor is spotless- I wonder what they did with that poor young man…'_ He grimaced, but merely stepped forward into the dimly lit room. He sighed, seating himself at the main console, _'Oh well, I'd best get to work…_' He removed his portable computer from its bag, then connected it into the mainframe._

* * *

'That should just about do it…'_Gerald smirked faintly. It had taken over an hour, but every scrap of information concerning Project Shadow (at least that he could access) was now erased from the government's system, transplanted onto his own computer. He stood up, stretching his arms over his head tiredly, then focused his gaze on the large tube in the center of the room, _'Now, what to do with him…?'

_The orange-liquid inside the tube was well-illuminated (especially compared to the rest of the room), which accentuated every facet of the tiny, man-made hedgehog. Its short, black fur and spikes were floating freely in the fluid and there were a number of tubes stuck in its body in order to feed and nourish the little creature. Gerald sighed, coming so that his nose was only a few centimeters from the glass, watching his unconscious creation. He could kill it easily enough and logically, it _was_ his best option: he was getting on in years, certainly past any reasonable age to try to raise a child. Also, without the proper time to study exactly what Grier had done to it he had no idea what the creature would be capable (or incapable) of. _

_The doctor placed his hands in his pockets uncomfortably; as a man of science, he practiced no religion, but he could recognize his current conundrum had religious overtones: he'd trespassed into God's domain by creating this little life and now he was being punished- Claphin killed, his career (after tonight) essentially over, and Grier…Grier wanted to…_ 'It's best this way,'_ Kintobor thought firmly, his right index finger hovering over the power switch on the console attached to the tube. He'd already disabled the security cameras and alarm systems in the room, so no one would find out until it was far too late. With a simple flick of the switch, fifteen months of effort would come crashing to an abrupt end, in a matter of minutes, but strangely…that wasn't what was bothering him, _'It's necessary…,'_ he thought miserably, his eyes watching the hedgehog sadly._

_Inside the tube, the infant's nose wrinkled as his face scrunched up in effort and for the first time, he forced his eyelids apart. Wide, red eyes peered out at his creator curiously. _

_Gerald's eyes widened in shock and his mouth fell open, _'My God…He's finally awake!' _He pulled his hand away from the power toggle and pressed his nose up against the glass, "Hello…" he whispered._

_The hedgehog cocked his head, raising a tiny hand towards the new face. Speech was something that would develop with time, but the connection of the greeting was felt without the verbal confirmation._

_Doctor Kintobor smiled broadly under his bushy mustache, blinking back a bit of liquid from his eyes as he raised fingers to touch the glass of the tube directly across from Shadow's. He could feel a lump sitting heavily in his throat, the same sort that he'd had when witnessing his only son's first few moments of life, so many years ago._

_The infant opened his mouth, but only air bubbles were emitted, floating lazily towards the top of the chamber above his head._

_Thankfully several of the little tubes in the creature carried oxygen straight into its bloodstream, since the doctor hadn't been sure of when its lungs would be strong enough to begin function- much like an umbilical cord did for a naturally-born fetus, _'I can't kill him now…'_ the doctor thought, shaking his head weakly, _'Not anymore, not like this. It's stupid, rash, irresponsible, perhaps, but…he's awake, he's a success…he's looking at me…'_ "Welcome to life, Shadow the Hedgehog…"_

* * *

Gerald reached out to stroke his now-nearly-adult son's head. Escape from the facility had been one of the easier tasks of their life together. One well-placed, potent computer virus had sent the entire complex into chaos and in the ensuing commotion, he had slipped out, the hedgehog sedated and bundled under his overcoat. With no remaining records and both him and his creation missing, they had no proof that the project had ever taken place. And that put him at a bit of an advantage. If he could find someplace remote enough, keep a low profile, there was very little chance of them ever being found.

_'Well…hopefully,'_ He admitted grumpily, sitting down lightly on the edge of his son's bed. He reached up and gently pulled the light beige sheet down to Shadow's waist, then began carefully removing the restriction rings from the hedgehog's wrists.

Lying low was more difficult than he had ever imagined. His son's natural abilities, coupled with the modifications the government had done had made him a force to be reckoned with, and he'd been reckoning with it since the day he'd brought him home.

He was programmed to be a killer and raised to blend into the average population, two ideologies constantly in friction, the outlet of which was a hair-thin temper, frequent violent outbursts, and a sour attitude. Though he'd never had the proper tools at his disposal to properly study the modifications made to his original designs (and the fact that Shadow had gained powers without his intention), Gerald had still managed to discern a few of the noticeable changes: the 'daydreaming' occurrences, for example, were triggered when his bloodlust was arisen, in the aftermath of a fight or when his power wasn't being properly contained…

Both of which, when happening simultaneously as they were now, spelled nothing but trouble. Which meant the rings needed adjusting, as they did every few years, almost on schedule right around the time of a move from one home to the next. The old man lifted the sheet back over his son's sleeping form and rose from the bed. It was going to be a long night…

* * *

_'Isn't this familiar…'_ Charles Hedgehog sighed, shaking his head in relief and disapproval as he stood over his sleeping nephew's bed, "You're gonna give me a heart attack one'a these days, disappearing like that," he whispered softly, placing his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the doorway, _'It's the same old story everyday- just 'slipped his mind' to tell me where he was going today. Someday something'll happen to him, he'll never come back and I'll never have a clue…'_ The darkness had a nasty habit of dredging up the quiet, nagging fears that, in the security of the light, he could manage to bury deep within the annals of his mind, _'I stand by what I said earlier, Jules,' _he thought tiredly, glancing out the window up at the starry sky, _'I don't think I make a very good guardian…'_

* * *

_"Charlie? You home? We brought someone special on his very first out-of-the-house trip to see you…"_

_"Jules? Izzat you?" the distinct, gravelly voice of Charles drifted up from the basement, the faint sound of hammering dying away, "Hang on, I'll be right up!"_

_"We'll be here," Jules Hedgehog chuckled, setting the Baby Travel System (an over-glorified, multi-purpose car seat/stroller/swing contraption that didn't _quite_ seem worth $200) on the couch in his brother's living room._

_Charles reached the top of the stairs quickly enough, smiling brightly- ever since the stray (Muttski by name) he'd picked up a decade ago had died a few months back, he looked forward to visits from his brother more and more, as it could get pretty lonely living by himself, "There's the happy couple!" he chortled, trotting over towards the cobalt-blue and deep-lavender colored hedgehog-humanoids._

_"Good to see you, Charlie," Bernadette said, embracing her brother-in-law warmly before guiding him over to the couch excitedly, "Come here, you_have_ to see how much bigger he's gotten since you saw him in the hospital!"_

_"Letting him out of the house already?" Charles joked as he allowed himself to be lead over to Jules and the high-tech baby transporter, giving his brother a firm handshake and a one-armed hug._

_"We figured we couldn't be the only ones getting cabin fever," Jules said, reaching down to unbuckle his two-month old son from the carrier and lift him into his arms, "Up ya go, boy. Say hi to your Uncle Chuck."_

_Charles bent his knees slightly to get a better look at the tiny, blue hedgehog, "Hey there, little guy," he smiled brightly, offering his nephew Sonic (whose wide eyes were examining this new being curiously) a single gloved finger by way of a mock-handshake, lightly grazing the infant's exposed, flesh-colored stomach._

_"He's a pistol, Chuck, I tell ya," Jules said proudly, "Look at how sturdy he is already." And the way he was holding his son (under the arms, scrunching his shirt up unceremoniously), though it merited a worried glance from his wife, was testimony to the statement. Sonic was clutching Charles' finger with both hands, head well-supported on his own, and not a weak grip either._

_"Quite a head of quills he's got there," Chuck grinned, patting his nephew gently on the head with his free hand, glancing over at Sonic's mother, "That must've been fun…"_

_ Bernie shuddered, blushing slightly, "I try not to think about it. I'm just thankful this set grew in recently. The set he had when he was born was marginally smaller."_

_"Ah, I see; that was a pretty quick molt then," Charles nodded sympathetically, turning back to his brother and newborn nephew, "Well, you've got one thing right, Jules: he's certainly a tough little guy- ain't 'cha, Sonic?" he asked the tiny hedgehog cheerfully, moving his well-wrapped index finger up and down slightly._

_ Encouraged, the child let out a gurgling laugh, clambering to hold onto the now-moving target, as if the object of a rudimentary game. _

_"So, what brings you three out to my neck of the woods?" the lighter-blue hedgehog inquired, now mixing up his up-and-down movements with horizontal motions as well, "Not that I'm complaining, of course."_

_"We figured it was about time the two of you met," Bernie answered, "Sorry we haven't been in touch sooner, but he keeps us so busy these days, we really lost track of things."_

_"That's quite alright," Chuck replied casually, reaching forward carefully with his free hand to tickle his nephew, "You're all welcome to visit anytime."_

_"Thank you," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently, "We'll be making time for it more often, I promise."_

_"Excellent- though I suppose that means I'll have to start stocking up on actual food rather than TV dinners," Uncle Chuck pondered aloud, smiling appreciatively at them._

_"Aww, I never minded TV dinners," Jules said with a laugh (though it was drowned out by his son's excited squeal)._

_"Though you really should be eating something a bit healthier for your own sake, Charles," Bernie said._

_Charles rolled his eyes, "That's what the bowl of fruit's for," he replied dismissively, pointing to the white, plastic bowl that served as the centerpiece of his coffee table._

_ "Mm-hmm," she nodded, not looking at all convinced, "Jules, why don't you give him a turn holding Sonic?"_

_"Sure," he nodded, carefully transferring his son over to his brother's waiting arms, "Better get some practice in now, Charlie- someday some girl's gonna force you to settle down and have one for yourself."_

_ Chuck shook his head, cheeks tinged pink, "Well, at least one of us is optimistic about that. I'm not holding my breath."_

_"Aww c'mon, what chick could resist a 39-year-old bachelor handyman, right Bernie?" Jules chuckled, sitting down on the couch next to the all-purpose baby-transporter._

_"Maybe if he was a bit less of a hermit," she said teasingly._

_Charles snorted indignantly, cradling Sonic gently in his arms as he turned his gaze down to his tiny nephew, "You parents are a pain in the butt- yes they are, yes they are…" he cooed, smiling._

_The child nodded, not understanding of course, but mimicking the movement happily as he reached up towards his uncle's face, tugging on his graying mustache._

_Uncle Chuck winced slightly, "Cute kid you got here, bro- couldn't've happened to a more deserving pair," he said quietly._

_ The couple exchanged a warm glance and Jules took hold of his wife's hand as she settled down on the armrest next to him. "I count my lucky stars every day, trust me."_

_Charles nodded slowly, watching Sonic affectionately. The last several years had been particularly painful for the Hedgehog family: first came the death of Charles' parents, then Jules and Bernie suffered through not one, but two straight stillbirths. The graves of the two, the first named Manic and the second Sonia, were now situated on the family plot beside those of their grandparents._

_After a moment of comfortable silence, Jules cleared his throat. "Listen, Charlie, there's another reason we came by today…"_

_"Hmm?" the mustached hedgehog grunted softly, still having fun playing with the infant in his arms (such a well-behaved little guy!)._

_"Well…" Bernie began, "With everything that's happened in the past few years, we've been doing a lot of thinking…"_

_"You mean about…?" Chuck trailed off. From the looks on their faces, he already knew the answer, "I see…"_

_"Not to be morbid or anything," Jules said quickly, "It's just that…if anything should ever happen to us…"_

_"We were hoping…" Bernie continued, "…that you could take Sonic."_

_Were he not aware of the fact that he was holding a newborn in his hands, Chuck's startled reaction would've been considerably more exaggerated, "…Me?" he repeated in disbelief, "Wha- but…Oh, haha, very funny, Jay."_

_"We're serious, Charles," Jules insisted, leaning forward in his seat, "Not that we're planning on going anywhere, but even so…"_

_"We'd just feel better knowing he'd be with someone we trust," Bernadette added, "If anything _should_ ever happen…"_

_The laughter on Chuck's face died suddenly, "You guys- you can't-…look, I appreciate the gesture, I really do, but I don't know the first thing about raising a kid…" he protested weakly as Sonic began curiously gumming the tip of the large, gloved finger in his hands._

_The couple was up on their feet now, one on either side of him. "Charlie, the odds of anything happening are a million to one," Jules said._

_"And you've got an excellent instinct," Bernie said, "Not to mention the biggest heart I've ever seen."_

_"This is just in case."_

_Uncle Chuck sighed, hanging his head, "_Fine…_But you two better not go anywhere; I don't think I'd make much of a guardian…"_

_They hugged him together. "We won't!"_

_"You're the best, Charlie."_

_"Yeah, yeah…"_

* * *

They'd promised they'd never go anywhere, and the odds were so slim. But Chuck had never trusted odds, and three years after they'd rewritten their wills they were gone, hit by a van that ran a red light fleeing a bank heist. Thinking about it now, about the night he'd gotten the call, his chest still ached. He'd stood over this bed that night too.

He exhaled softly, slumping against the windowsill, watching his nephew rest.

So Sonic got stuck with him at the tender age of three. Raising a child with 'abilities' was difficult enough for two parents, let alone one middle-aged repairman with no prior experience with children; maybe if he'd been a better guardian, Sonic wouldn't have had so many disciplinary problems in school or such a difficult time emotionally connecting with…well, anyone…_ 'Poor kid…'_

* * *

Despite all the nights spent on her own in hotel rooms, Alicia Acorn was always able to tell when a bed meant for two was half-empty. Half-asleep, she stretched one arm out in search of her husband and when her hand came down on nothing but the mattress, she knew something was up. Pushing herself up on her elbows, she peered through the darkness. A sliver of moonlight was spread across the floor leading straight to the door of their bedroom, which she realized was ajar. She sat up, slid her legs over the side of the bed and padded out into the hall. _'That man's giving __**himself**__ gray hair, if you ask me…I swear, if he's up working at this hour…'_

Maximillian Acorn, however, wasn't working. He was standing outside the opened door to Sally's room, gazing in at her, fear and anxiety etched in his expression, the creases in his facial expression (visible even through his thin fur) thrown into sharper contrast by the single nightlight plugged into the outlet at the end of the hall.

"Max…" Alicia said quietly, putting a hand lightly on his arm, "What're you doing up…?"

He glanced over at his wife briefly, "…Hmm?"

"It's almost 3 AM," she said, "What're you doing out here?"

"Nothing," he whispered, "It's late; you go back to sleep, I'll be there in a minute."

She gazed at him for a moment, then tugged on his arm. "She's not going anywhere tonight, you know."

"I know, I know, it's just-" he stopped abruptly, "…You're right, I know she isn't…"

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You're a _good_ father, Max… Come back to bed with me."

The corner of his mouth twitched upward for a second, but only just, "I shouldn't have yelled at her like that tonight…" he sighed miserably, allowing the door to Sally's room to fall quietly closed again.

"You were just trying to keep her safe…" she said, though in the back of her mind, some confusion regarding the incident still lingered, "I guess we never realized the danger this job leaves us open to. On a day to day basis, it's not something she…or I, for that matter, think about…"

He nodded, following his wife's slow lead back towards their room, "I know it might seem like I overreact or get overprotective sometimes but…you trust my judgment, right?"

"I do…" she said, "And I know there's a lot that goes on you can't tell me…I just wish it didn't have to be so much…"

"There are some things that, even if I _could_ tell you, Alicia, I wouldn't," he muttered softly.

"Why?" she asked, turning towards him in genuine puzzlement.

"I'm the first humanoid mayor of Mobotropolis in two decades, in a city that's suffering from crime, poverty, wealth disparity, and terrorist attacks on top of everything else," he laughed hollowly, "I wouldn't let the mother of my children within ten yards of half the things security intercepts…"

She pulled herself a bit closer to him as they walked. This job had done a number on him, the emergence of his more dominant male instincts being only one of them. "Alright…" she said quietly, "Like I said, I trust you…I just wish I could help you carry even a piece of this burden…"

He kissed her atop the head gently, "Well, being home is a start…"

She smiled. "I'll work on that. My editor won't be happy, but I could use a break from traveling."

"It would be nice to see you more than twice a month," he continued, "What with Elias moving back in, we'd have the whole family together for the first time in years…"

"Yes, Elias mentioned something about that…" she said, "Not that I'd mind having them around, of course, and we've got plenty of room after all. But I'm curious as to what inspired you to invite them."

"It's what's best at the moment," he said evasively, shooting her a meaningful look.

_'Relax, Alicia, we're trusting him, remember? Let it go…' _"Alright," she said, though she didn't look satisfied.

They had arrived at the door to their room, "After you," Max offered courteously.

She smirked, "Thank you darling," she said, slipping inside and crawling back across the bed, her nightdress sliding up unintentionally as she stretched out across the mattress, "You're coming too, right?"

He smirked in admiration of the excellent view now afforded to him. How was it that she was still just as gorgeous as the day he married her twenty-five years ago, but he had become a stiff, run-down shadow of a man? At least his libido wasn't as exhausted as the rest of him- even with everything on his mind, his body could still find the time to remind him that not only was his wife younger than him, but after two children she remained nothing short of an absolute knock-out, "Yes dear," he said, climbing into bed after her.

Wrapping her arms around him, she rubbed her nose up against his. "I'm afraid I'm not nearly as drunk as I promised I would be," she murmured, "But I love you, and I think after the week you've had, you could _use_ some loving."

Given the heat he could feel in his cheeks, Max was suddenly quite glad for the cover of darkness the night provided. True it was 3 in the morning and he'd have to be up by 6 but at the moment, here, wrapped in the warm, gentle embrace of his mate, the concerns of the real world (daunting and dangerous as they were) were more easily pushed to the backburner, "I love you…" he whispered, gazing at her in admiration and affection.

"I know you do," she purred, "Now why don't you let me show you how mutual the feeling is?"

_'I have the best wife ever…'_

* * *

Julian Kintobor pushed his chair away from his desk. "Snively, I'm retiring to the basement. You're free to go."

Snively looked up from his desk, removing his square, rimless reading glasses, "Do you need me downstairs?" he inquired, his nasally, oily voice boring through the tinny buzz of the room's single, flickering electric light.

"I'm just going to be doing some tinkering, then I'll dig out my golf gear," he chuckled, "Go home. Get some sleep."

"Yes sir," the shorter, younger man nodded, standing up stiffly, "Good night, sir."

"Good night," Robotnik said, straightening the never-ending clutter that covered his desk absently.

Snively collected up several manila folders full of financial materials, delivery confirmation reports, and inventory lists from his desk, then walked to the corner of the room and removed his coat from the rack. He inclined his head once in the direction of his uncle, then headed out into the long, deserted, dimly-lit corridors of the grocery store.

The droids had all retreated to the factory already – the drones programmed without personality-endowed A.I.s were efficient enough to make working through the night unnecessary. The silence was a striking contrast to the commotion he knew was taking place beneath his feet, where his uncle was currently journeying to. It was a rare occurrence, not being required for the full extent of the evening, and when it had happened in the past, he was never slow in accepting the chance to actually sleep for more than the 15 minute power naps he was usually afforded. Tonight however, he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that 'not required' truly meant 'not needed', as he had been suspicious of ever since that dinner at his great-great-uncle's new home.

_'Just because the damn crawler has powers…'_ he scowled bitterly, exiting the store through the nearly pitch-black back exit (the single light that would've illuminated the short set of steps leading away from the building was broken, as it had been for several days), fumbling around under the light of the moon for the keys to his car as he finally managed to get his jacket fully on, sticking his free arm through the second sleeve.

Keys in hand, he crossed the parking lot to the only vehicle left on the blacktop, and one of the few things he could say he'd actually done just for himself. The years of saving had paid off at long last, and after the disappointingly abysmal failure of the last raid, he had treated himself. The latest model sports car, a sleek, silver _Aero_ which outclassed just about everything else he owned – including his apartment. A dwelling which, before tonight, he hadn't seen in a few weeks.

It was just as well- the apartment was only a place to crash, kept more for appearances than as any sort of half-decent home. As long as he paid the rent on time, the super didn't ask questions, nor did the neighbors (probably more out of fear than lack of curiosity). He opened the door and slid smoothly into the driver's seat, dropping the folders unceremoniously onto the empty passenger-side seat, then started the vehicle.

Glorious, humming perfection. He couldn't help but smile, just slightly, at the sound. As an engineer in his own right, well-crafted machinery was something he could appreciate, and this was a fine machine. A quick wrist flick pulled him out of 'park' and he rolled smoothly out of the lot.

The ride back to his apartment was short, uneventful, and infuriating in that, for drive-by related health reasons, it was unintelligent to give in to the satisfying urge to curse out the other idiots that were on the road this late at night. A few minutes after parking the sports car in the parking lot of the apartment complex (and locking it up tight), he was back inside the building. Most of the tenants were either asleep or keeping to themselves, which was fine with Snively- he preferred the peace and quiet after a full day of dealing with a dishonest, short-tempered customer base.

One less-than-sanitary elevator ride later, he was thumping down towards the end of the hall, where dusty furniture and long-dead plants awaited him. He wasn't sure what he'd been thinking buying them in the first place. After the first set had died, he'd abandoned the hope of ever being able to maintain any others, but he hadn't had the time or energy to dispose of the dead ones either. So they sat scattered around the few rooms, biodegrading and making quite the statement of interior decorating.

He frowned in frustration as he reached his door- one of the building's juvenile delinquents had seen fit to befoul his door with several choice, crass, four-letter words…again. His upper lip curled in a particularly nasty snarl, Snively unlocked his door and went inside, muttering furiously to himself as he slammed the door closed behind him.

For as infrequently as he physically resided in this building, his fellow tenants had taken a disliking to him without any of them having ever interacted with him for more than a fleeting moment. Only the younger ones acted on it aggressively, with immature acts of vandalism and the occasional snide comment in the hallway. Those his age and older were generally silent, but their disapproval was felt just the same, hanging in the air like the numerous variations of insects that gathered by the ceiling lights in the evenings.

He dropped his folders onto the coffee table in front of his dusty, sickly-green colored couch, continuing on into his bedroom. The moonlight shining in from the windows made using the lights unnecessary. He sat down on the unkempt bed, glancing over at the answering machine situated on his nightstand. A single, dark red glowing '0' illuminated the center of the unit, a true testament to his utter lack of connection with humanity. Next to the device, made particularly vicious by the crimson light and the darkness of the room, sat a bulbous, still cockroach.

It wasn't as if his neighbors' collective disapproval mattered to him; he'd never put much stock in the opinions of others. They were mere insects, scurrying about aimlessly, self-absorbed and hostile. Snively pulled his car keys out of his pocket silently, sneering down his nose at the unwelcome, disease-infested intruder, _'And soon…'_ In one precise, violent stroke, he jabbed his key down through the center of the cockroach with a sickening crunch, the dull tip of the metal nicking the wood beneath the underbelly of the insect, now smeared in bodily slimes, _'They'll be nothing at all…'_

TBC...


End file.
